#a part of him knew maybe he'd have to be a bit forceful with somebody as polite as Izuku

[oshiawaseni]

thinking about Bakugo basically cornering himself with "I don't expect this to change anything" oh he wants it all to change so bad... literally giggling and kicking my feet OUR BOY'S SHY AND POLITE AND HE'S BEEN SILENTLY SUFFERING NOT TO PUT PRESSURE ON MIDORIYA

I was just thinking about this not even 2 days ago. What he's saying is definitely not matching how he truly feels because in the bath later that day, he insists again on calling Izuku by his true name. Aside from putting to rest their negative history and how "Deku" was first formed, to help relieve any extra pressure Izuku might still suffer from it, we KNOW that's also his way of being and feeling CLOSER to Izuku. He was telling him that he is now somebody Izuku can trust, and honestly? Kacchan was loving him quite earnestly at this point. :')

"Words like 'impossible' don't even exist in my dictionary."

Lmao "he didn't expect them to change" and yet, he wasn't going to relent on being allowed to feel closer to Izuku, no matter what. He had definitely been struggling with feelings of not knowing how to change their dynamic to what he knew should have been 'close'. The people around them often commented on them being "childhood friends" despite them not being emotionally close (I'd say what they had was a spiritual closeness), and he would watch as Izuku formed these close friendships with others with a kind of... longing? that things could be different between them.

He needed their relationship to match the softness that had formed, the love he now felt for Izuku with no outlet to go that was building deep inside his heart (sigh), and ch 322+327 was him finally being honest to Izuku and HIMSELF about it and giving priority to his own emotional needs maybe for the first time in his life.

[akutasoda]

Hi! For the 1k event could I request hcs of Wanderer or Alhaitham (either works!) with a shy but extroverted s/o? Like they love talking and socializing, but their shyness prevents them from doing so. Hurt/comfort, fluff, or angst would be fine :>

Love your writing btw!!

extroverted introverts

synopsis - when their s/o who loves socialising has a shyer personality

includes - alhaitham, wanderer

warnings - gn!reader, reader is shy but loves talking, fluff, slight angst, wc - 713

a/n: <3 thank you! why not both?

alhaitham ★↷

↪alhaitham isn't exactly a people person, he has those headphones on him for a reason now. he can happily go about his day not socialising with anyone outsiders of who he needs to speak to and even then he likes to keep it brief and gotten over with.

↪so when he first saw how shy you could be he kind of just assumed you weren't that fond of talking to people and that was all. it wouldn't take him long until he could see how you always looked like you had something to say when you were with people but never did.

↪he wanted to chalk it up to your shyness but when he saw you with familiar faces, himself included, you seemed to talk forever and it was like you would never be shy. it took him a short while to figure out you did like talking to people but you had a shyer side which made it very difficult for you.

↪now, if you were anyone else he'd see it as a tough luck situation but fortunately he cared for you. he wouldn't really waste any time in asking you about it and would quickly add that he'd be willing to try and help you. a small part of you wanted to tease him for becoming so willing to talk to people for your sake.

↪whenever you'd accompany alhaitham anywhere and he happened to be ambushed by someone he'd starrt helping you get incorporated into the conversation by always prompting you subtly - he actually liked doing this because he didn't have to talk to the other person but at the same time you could happily talk to them.

↪he would never pry into why you would become so shy sometimes as he knew it wasn't really his business but he'd still help you. sometimes he'd catch you becoming a bit more extroverted and see you talking to new people and a part of him would feel happy for you.

↪he did actively enjoy bringing you into conversations subtly as you always enjoyed talking with others and he didn't, so it'd normally take the attention off of him which meant he didn't have to talk to anyone unnecessarily.

wanderer ★↷

↪wanderer is quite a mixed bag when it comes to socialising with others. a part of him can be very outgoing and he likes to talk without a filter, uncaring to those around him especially when he's annoyed - much to nahida's dismay. another part of him can be quite quiet when it comes to socialising, preferring to silently judge while others talked.

↪didn't mind that you seemed to be shy and rather hesitant about talking with others. you'd probably have to tell him directly about how you loved to talk with others but you simply couldn't get over your shyness because he wouldn't really pick up on it precisely.

↪like maybe he'd notice how you always looked like you wanted to say something but didn't but he wouldn't really put two and two together. he'd also be slightly unsure of how to help because it's not like you can force somebody to just get better at talking to people.

↪he'd probably start noticing how much you actually did like socialising when he saw how quickly you could change from being shy to outgoing - specifically when talking to people you're quite familiar with. then he'd start noticing how much more outgoing and sociable you are, even with him.

↪he might be a little useless to begin with but maybe he'd start developing a more subtle approach where when he's talking to somebody he'd ask for your input and ease you into the conversation - it makes him very proud when he sees how comfortable you get when you get used to talking to someone and start enjoying the conversation.

↪or maybe if you didn't mind he'd start pushing you into taking the lead when you're both out and about. small things that would help you overcome your shyness and be able to have that confidence to be able to happily talk to anyone.

↪maybe he'd even let you talk his ear off late at night because he enjoys listening to how passionate you can be when talking-

akutasoda's 1k event

[eroslove88]

I just want to make you feel good

GIF MIGHT NOT WORK. :( SORRY!!!

Warnings: Death of reader's fiance, DICTATOR ALBEDO, mention of war, overstimulation, light bondage, femdom with fiance a bit, starvation, kidnapping, sex with fiance, and NONCON with Albedo

Pairing: Yan! Albedo x Reader

Note: I'm pretty proud of this one. Not proof read, please share! 🫶 It would mean a lot!

Many years ago you poured your heart out in form of love letters to him, and although they were anonymous, at first, they soon would turn to flirty messages. He'd give you gifts and while you thought he liked you, deep deep down you knew he didn't. Especially when his attention started to slip, his messages stopped, and the ignoring started. A part of you wanted to ask him, what did I do wrong? It's not like he knew about all the smutty things you'd say when he posted a photo to your friends, 'I need him so baddd' or the 'Oh he can get it ;)' , yet maybe he did. Maybe somebody told him about how you were nervous because his parents didn't approve of dating outside the culture. You can't help but feel this take a toll of your pride- and dignity- your mind recalls the things he'd say about you, "She's so cute"- hell if you really were then he would have put the same amount of effort in. Not that it mattered anymore.

With what courage you could muster up you decided to message him how you felt about his recent absence, 'Hey! So I know we haven't talked in a while, but I wanted you to know that I feel pretty strongly about you, and I know you probably don't. But I would prefer you just tell me if you weren't.' However, due to the time difference (4am for you and unfortunately, 1pm for him) to your horror he reads it right away. You decide to just go to sleep, you already know the answer, and besides it honestly didn't even hurt when you woke to the message blabbing about not feeling the same way. About a week later an old friend reaches out to you about missing you, and so you get closer with them.

Like a flash 3 months go by and he's your boyfriend; he's sweet, patient, sensitive, non egotistical, and beautiful. He's open with you about how he feels and he communicates well him you about how he feels and what he wants, arguments are easy to get through.

After high school you found yourself engaged quite young, younger than you thought- 23- while attending med school across the country. Your fiance would occasionally visit you and you two would have fun.

"Mmm~ slow down" he'd groan, head tossed back as the flesh light in your hand moves up and down along his cock. He was so beautiful tied up and completely at your mercy, "Ah~" he whispers, "Th-The visit is su-supposed to" you shush him. "I know, but I enjoy this more" you lean in and start nibbling across his clavicle while you forced his already sore cock to pump the cum filled flesh light. "I just want to make you feel good" you whisper in front of his lips before kissing his beautiful lips, pushing him against the head board of your twin bed. Your other hand come up and lightly wraps itself around his neck, and you can tell he's almost done. His tongue jolts and you feel his body begin to shiver slightly. It's his 3rd time cumming tonight, but you've been so stressed with finals coming up that you don't plan for this to be his last one, "Gorgeous, as always" you mumble kissing his forehead before kissing his collar bones and working your way down; from his chest, to his pelvis, to his cock. It's so sensitive it twitches when you kiss the head and although you can't help but chuckle you decide to look up at his face. He was panting, his eyes watered, and his lips were slightly parted. You wanted to give him the world, but right now the most you could give him was pleasure so you grab his hips and start to slowly make your way down his cock. After his 2th time cumming down your throat he begins to whine and cry, "N-no no more, hun" you sigh and begin to untie him. "You did better this time" you whisper before cleaning up the messy bed. When you crawl in next to him he holds you, tight, very tight. You giggle as he flips you into your back and pins you down, "I thought you were tired" you snort out. He rolls his eyes, "I'm just returning the favor" Before you know if he's picked you up by the thighs and has you slammed against the mattress, that's new. He's quite strong and he begins to absolutely dominate your mouth making you pant into the kiss. He moves down your torso; from collar bones, to chest (he nips at your pretty nipples too!), and down your pussy. He practically rips your legs apart and starts to ravage you. Your hands reach out to pull his messy hair as your pelvis lifts up to grind against his nose. He's always been good with his tongue, and he knew that. "Ah- more, please!" you cry out as your thighs close around his and your back arches, trying to chase your high. You don't remember the boring things after that; how many times you came on his tongue, and cleaning up. You do remember the question your fiance asked you though, "So, are... are we still virgins if we haven't done penetrational sex?" you look at him, "Oral is a kind of sex, but we'll do vaginal after the wedding" you respond before scooching closer to him and clinging onto his torso.

Unfortunately, this wouldn't last. Not when this was your last intimate night together. That morning you remember it so clearly. The news had been reporting on absolutely crazy protests against the government recently, but you couldn't have ever imagined that the president and his family would flee the country. Airlines were ordered to stop sending out flights, and the new leader, who had been planning this, ordered for the country to immediately be on lockdown. Boarders were closed, trading stopped, classes were cancelled, and the internet stopped working. All that happened in the span of 6 months, you never married your fiance, and because of neighboring countries attempting to come to the citizens' aids- despite out leader not allowing it- it lead to war. War leads to drafts, and with that your fiance was sent away.

You had no idea how he was doing, and to call yourself down you would usually dive into your studies- which were cancelled- or you'd call you fiance- which was not an option. Back in your home town, much time everywhere else, the streets were full of tanks and soldiers. You felt safe in your childhood home, and you decided that mayb being with family would help. Wrong, they actually made you more anxious about your betrothed, and with that you decided to try visiting your friends. All were frantic as well, but what surprised you the most was the question, "You're here?" you tilted your head, "Is this not a great time?" she pulls you in with your other friends already inside, "You're safe?" you nod before the other girls come in to hug you. "I thought he had found you!" blonde exclaims. You pull away from the hug, "Who?" you ask dropping your bag. That's when they started telling you the whole story.

You see, Albedo was always awkward, and you kind of figured that maybe that was the reason why he didn't tell you right away about not liking you. He was a year older and you decided to take the same science class as him, not because of him, but because it actually interested both of you. He was your lab partner and he mentioned the events of the previous year and out of anger you may be have blurted out, "Yeah, and I bet you didn't tell me right away because you're so insecure that you probably didn't think you'd get that kind of attention from a girl again, so you lead me on to boost your ego" and genuinely for the first time, he looked hurt. You apologize and because your teacher heard, she allowed you to change partners. 3 months ago an order was sent out for your capture by the leader, Albedo. Why, you had no clue.

"Maybe he wants revenge..." you mumble petting the fat tabby cat she owned. She shakes her head, "No, you were just being honest and it was mostly true" your other friend butts in, "You just need to lay low" you nod and put the cat down. "I should head home to say goodbye to my parents" you grab your bag and hug your friends goodbye before walking out of the apartment, and suddenly you felt the immense pressure of eyes on you.

When you got home you almost felt like vomiting, your parents were sitting at the dining room table. "We sent for them about a week ago" your father starts. You step bsc, but a soldier's hand from behind stops you. They can't even look at you and your eyes begin to water, "We needed to ensure the safety of your sister and... us..." your mother adds. You shake your head, "What about mine?" you ask in between sobs before one of the waves the other 3 soldiers away making them grab you and begin to drag you out. You wanted to scream, but all you could do was cry.

You were thrown into a cellar, you didn't get up to scream you just silently laid on the cold floor and sobbed, loudly. All this adrenaline made your head hurt and before you knew it you knocked out, and when you woke up there was a bucket, and a gallon on water. "V-very funny asshole" you tell out hoping you maybe spot a camera in there, "Are you trying to humiliate me?" you ask kicking the bucket. Hours passed by and... nothing. You decide to drink the water, your stomach growled as your sat patiently talking to yourself about some stupid medical notes you remembered. When you woke up the light was still on, no food, only the gallon that was now full- despite you only drinking a bit- and the bucket. You had to pee, but maybe you could wait. After what felt like an eternity you realized you couldn't. Maybe days went by, you felt your hips and felt your hip bone protrude from your skin, and you couldn't get up anymore. You were so hungry, "Al..." you whisper. Nothing. You cleared your throat, "Albe..." you couldn't finish before you started sobbing. The door opened. You couldn't even look up you just kept your head down before your were slung over someone's shoulder, you wanted an end to this misery, but the sight of platinum blond hair had you thinking it wasn't just over yet before you passed out.

You woke up to blackness, a blind fold, you opened your mouth to begin the sobbing before a finger pressed against your lips, "I don't like it when you cry, hun" you felt soft lips kiss your cuffed hand, "The examination processes will be over soon, and then we'll get you some actually food" his voice was calm, almost as if you weren't just starved for who knew how long. Closing your mouth to tried to suppress your little cries and small jolts of your body. After what felt like decades the bed shifts so that you're sitting up, the blindfold is taken off and you're faced with that pretty man you envied, yet admirers much. In a table next to him he has a bowl full of broccoli cheddar soup, the steam is still coming off it. He blows on the spoons before using his other hand to pull your jaw down, "Remember, it's hot" he warns before feeding it to you. He doesn't say anything else after that, and when the soup is done a soldier comes down to grab the bowl and takes it away from the room. It's quiet, and while you can't look at him, he doesn't ever take his eyes off you. "How was med school?" he asks hoping you'll turn to face him. You open your mouth, but nothing comes out, only shaking breaths. "I remember it being your dream and all..." he trails off. It was silent again. He clears his throat, "You know, you've always been bad at keeping the conversation going..." silent tears fall down your face. Albedo sighs before uncuffing your limbs, and you don't know what possessed you, but you reach out and he stops you with ease, "The point of the starvation was you weaken you" you look like a scared bunny, your nose flaring slightly and eyes squinting a bit staring at his perfect face. "Stand." he demands. You shake your head, "No?" he asks. "Because you can't?" he quirks a brow. You nod and he looks down at your slim legs, they were shaking. He bends down and picks you up bridal style, and you hide your face in the crook of his neck before your tossed onto a bed. It's beautiful; the room's color scheme was gold and brown, but there were some banners along the wall with red, and thick curtains covering the windows. You're assuming he caught your stare, "And bars" you look back at him confused, "Bars along the windows"- oh that's what he meant.

The room is kind of dark due to the lack of sun- hold up- you look up and he's looming over you. "Albedo..." you whisper pushing yourself further up the bed away from him, "Yes?" he asks maintaining the same position. "My..." you break eye contact, a bit embarrassed to ask actually, "My finance, was..." he tilts his head, "What?" you stop scooting up when you hit the soft pillows, "Dr-drafted." you finish. He sighs and shakes his head, "Yes, I'm aware." he straightens himself, "It's all for a good of the country" you open your mouth with your eyebrows furrowed, "Besides, why do you think you're here?" he asks. Now his beautiful, bright eyes are holding contact, you shiver a little not really sure what he means, "I realized that you were right, no other woman would like me the way you did," you open your mouth to correct him, that's not what you meant, but he interrupts you, "I've grown to realize that I actually did feel for you. In a much stronger way" he grabs your ankle and your weak fingers try to grab on the sheets beneath you, "I wanted to kill that man the second I found out you two were... exclusive?" he rolls his eyes. You're right under him, and his hand is wrapped tightly around your left ankle. He pushes your leg as far as he can back towards your head to test your flexibility, "When we're done here I'll take you down to see the remains of your 'fiancé'" a meek squeal leaves your mouth before he let's you go to undo his belt you kick his torso and begin to book it, but you don't make it far before he grabs you and you're slammed on the bed, harshly. You sit up and he immediately smacks you across the face; in a quick moment your vision goes black and you hear ringing in your ears. You begin to scream and sob as he flips you over knto your stomach.

"I'm sorry hun..." he mumbles, "You just make it so difficult." Begs leave your lips, "Pleasepleaseplease, no. Albedo. Albedo! Albedo!" he easily lifts up the skirt of the night gown he gave you and stops for a second to drop his pants. "I love you." he states to coldly as his hard cock is aligned with your cunt. You arch your back in pain as a loud shriek leaves your mouth, he almost wants to believe you weren't doing this with your boyfriend, until he sees the red blood trickling down, he doesn't comment on it, but you know he's happy or at least relieved. Once his cock is all the way in and only cocked sobbed leave your lips he leans forward and whispers in your ear, "I just want to make you feel good" he takes a shakey breath, the most human he's been, "I'll make sure the next time you to change yourself you only think about his good I made you feel" he pulls away and grabs your hips. You grown as he pulls out a but before sliding in with your slick. Swallowing the lump in your throat you bite your tongue to suppress the breathy moan you want to let out. You've always fantasized about having something inside you, but you didn't think it'd feel this good, or under these circumstances. You ass jiggles as he harshly makes contact with it and his pelvis. You use your elbows to prop you up so that he can hit a better angle, and he knows it. It stroke his ego how you act like you don't like it, but it's your hungry pussy that's dragging him in and slobbering all over his length. He hears your groans become louder and your cunt begins to twitch around him. "F-f-fuck" you sob out in a defeated tone. A hand comes down to play with your poor pearl, you squeal at the familiar sensation. "N-no!" you shout. "Yes." he responds nonchalantly. You limbs are ready to give out, as your on all fours panting like a dog on the bed. You shriek at and cum all over him, but he's not done yet. It's for you, so you're going to enjoy it as many times as he seems fit. "More." he says flips you over to stare at your blissful face. His hands pin yours down and he quickens the pace, a light outline of his cock visible in your stomach. You close your eyes to avoid his gaze, but he doesn't care, he just wants you to feel good.

[penny00dreadful]

Somebody To Love - Part 3

Part 1 Part 2 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 AO3

Looks like we're going the direction of two parts here = one chapter on AO3 so consider this your sneaky peek for chapter two! 😘

Eddie was not spiralling.

He was not.

He had not fallen into a complete self-destructive hole after his world was rocked by the sudden and out of nowhere realisation that Steve Harrington… Steve fucking Harrington, his employee, his best friend, his babysitter, his god-damn saving grace, his… his everything… was in love with him?

It hadn't...

It couldn't...

He refused to believe it.

So what if he had called the guy from the video shoot yesterday. 

So what if he had taken him back to his home and done exactly what he had planned to do to him last night, for hours.

It wasn’t like he was trying to prove anything to himself.

It wasn’t like all of these god-damn feelings, that had cropped up in the wake of that realisation, were fucking drowning him and he needed to do something about them. To make them go away, to fuck them out and all but destroy the body underneath him to make himself believe that all of this was just some crossed wires or misinterpretation or him seeing things where there wasn’t anything to be seen.

Because there couldn’t be anything.

There couldn’t be.

But Eddie was forced to recon with the fact that maybe he had been running again when he woke up the next morning and looked over to find that bruised and tender expanse of skin stretched across the back of that guy from the video shoot and fuck, he couldn’t even remember his name.

Eddie had made a rule for himself some years ago after a particularly harrowing experience to never ever sleep with someone who seemed just a little bit too eager to have him specifically again. 

And Jesus H. Christ had this guy been eager. 

It wasn’t unusual, people clamouring to get into his pants. But there was a difference in between them and the type that this guy was.

Something just a little unsettling in hindsight about how badly he wanted Eddie to mark him up. To put bruises and bite marks and handprints on him, like it was some kind of trophy to parade around. 

Look at me! Look at all these marks I got a rockstar to put into my skin!

Like, everything had been consensual on both ends, of course it had. No matter how deep Eddie would go, he would never lose himself like that. 

But it still left a bad taste in his mouth in the light of day. Like Eddie could’ve carved his name into the guys forehead and he would have said thank you. Like it would be something for him to post online or scream from the rooftops about like a badge of honour that never ended well.

Eddie slid out of his bed, being thankful not for the first time that the obscene amount of money he had now allowed him the space and budget to buy a bed big enough to fit at least four grown men easily.

And it had, a few times in the past. 

Shit.

Maybe he wasn’t as in control of everything as he’d always thought he was. Had he ever been? Had he ever had a proper handle on the amount of sex or drugs or alcohol he’d subjected his body and mind to?

Deep down he knew the answer to that. He’d known the answer to that for a very long time, he’d just never wanted to admit it to himself. 

Not before now.

He'd never had a handle on it.

Because Steve had had a handle on it for him. 

Steve had always been the one keeping him at a relatively safe level, ever since he’d come into his life all those years ago. Ever since the first time he’d had to stick his fingers down Eddie’s throat and ride with him to the hospital to get his stomach pumped. 

He’d never been allowed to get to that level again.

Jesus H. Christ Eddie was just one walking giant fucking red flag, wasn’t he? What the hell did Steve see in him?

He felt like he was walking downstairs with a cartoon cloud hanging over his head.

Eddie didn’t stop at the kitchen, just continuing on down to the basement, reaching out for his guitar like a lifeline. He curled up on the couch and picked out nonsense on the strings, letting whatever music came out of him compliment his sour mood.

Eddie didn’t know how long he stayed down there, but eventually his mood started to lift. Music was always a bit of a gift for him like that. It always managed to make him feel better.

It was only when he caught sight of a melting bright pink frappuccino sitting on the coffee table that he started to panic.

Because that meant that Steve was here. 

Of course Steve was here, Steve was always here, taking care of him and cleaning up his messes.

He realised then why he’d felt so comfortable leaving that guy alone in his house, alone in his bedroom while he hid underground like a worm.

Because he’d done it so many times before.

Because he’d always left it up to Steve to show the guys the door while Eddie fucked off to do whatever it was he decided he was doing that day, oftentimes exactly what he was doing now, brooding in his basement studio with his guitar.

He didn’t know what it was this time around but he couldn’t shake the feeling that if Steve came face to face with the guy upstairs it would be disastrous. Something would happen, something would go wrong.

Except he did know why it was different this time, of course he did. Because this time was the first time he was fully aware of Steve’s potential feelings for him and what it must do to him every time he had to go kick Eddie’s latest conquest out of the house.

He shot to his feet but only made it halfway up the stairs before the sound of the front door slamming shut echoed around the house and he froze in place.

Another creak came from up above and he shot back into action, running up the remaining steps like a bat out of hell and barrelling straight into the man himself.

“Jesus.” Steve had both of his hands on Eddie’s arms to steady him, he looked as put together as he always did but there was something about his posture that was off. He was a little too stiff, his eyes were slightly red and his face had a slight flush to it. 

He looked like he’d been crying.

Or trying desperately not to.

“What happened?” Eddie clutched back at the lapels of Steve's suit jacket in a panic and Steve himself looked momentarily bewildered at Eddie's desperation before he tried to brush it off.

“Sent the guy home,” he shrugged, “the usual.”

“Something happened, tell me.” Eddie couldn't explain it, he felt like something was slipping through his fingers and he was powerless to stop it.

Steve shook his head. “Nothing happened, Eds.”

“No, no. Something happened, Stevie. What was it? Did the guy say something to you or-”

Steve’s face shuttered, that infuriating blank mask was put back into place.

Eddie dug his fingers in. “What did he say?”

“It’s- he didn’t say anything.”

“No, Stevie, sweetheart, tell me please. Please.”

“Eddie.” Steve’s voice was firm and unwavering. He let go of Eddie’s arms and prised himself out of his grip. “Drop it, alright? It’s nothing for you to worry about. He’s left. It’s done.”

Opportunity gone, that was the only thing cycling through Eddie’s head at that moment. He’d missed something, let something pass him by but he didn’t know what.

Steve wouldn’t be argued with, when he didn’t want to talk about something the guy was a fortress and no amount of needling would get it out of him.

“Okay.” He almost whispered as Steve turned, walking further into the house without a backwards glance.

Eddie didn’t follow him, he couldn’t. If Steve wanted space to deal with whatever the fuck happened, he’d give him space. Though he did have half a mind to call up that guy and find out just what the fuck he had done to make Steve react like that.

Steve had never been outwardly riled up by anyone Eddie had slept with before, he'd always been polite smiles and gentle but firm demeanour unless whoever it was decided they could boss him around too.

Then the smile turned cutting and he became more firm than gentle but he never got upset.

Nearly the whole day had passed before he saw Steve again, hidden away somewhere in his giant house, which was very unusual for the both of them. When Eddie wasn’t touring or writing or doing whatever else he needed to do for work he and Steve were inseparable. They hung out constantly, Steve practically lived in Eddie’s biggest guest room during those times.

But when he did see Steve again, it was with a cold pit of dread settling in his stomach. Because Steve was dressed casual. Like he wasn't at work anymore. Like he was... like he was leaving.

“I think I need a vacation.” His tone was light, but forced. Like he was trying to convince the two of them it would just be a simple jaunty outing and everything was fine.

Right.

A vacation.

Right.

Steve wasn’t leaving forever. He was just taking a break.

Eddie could handle that.

He could.

Steve deserved it after all. He’d been running around after Eddie for so long, always so dedicated, always so…

He deserved a vacation. He really, honestly, truly did.

“How-” Eddie cleared his throat and wrapped his arms around himself. “How long will you be gone?”

Steve looked at him with something close to relief that Eddie wasn’t putting up a fight with him. Maybe, just maybe there was a thread of sadness underneath it all but it was so difficult to see.

“A couple of weeks. Maybe a month. I don’t know. I don’t think I’ll know until I get there.”

“Oh, one of those vacations, huh?” He laughed. Or attempted to. It was pathetically flat.

“Yeah. One of those.” Steve stepped forward and enveloped Eddie in a hug, warm and solid and soft and all encompassing, like he always was. “I’m… I’m gonna try to switch off, I think. So I’ll probably be out of contact for most of it.” Eddie nodded against Steve’s neck and squeezed him around the middle as tight as he could.

He wasn’t leaving forever, he was going to come back.

He was going to come back and everything would be fine and it would all work out. 

“Where-?” Eddie shook his head. Steve wanted to get away and Eddie didn’t need to know where he was going. It would be fine. Everything would be fine. “Never mind.”

“I’ve already got my replacements lined up. They’ll be here in the morning. You’ll like them. Promise.”

Eddie pulled his head back, still comfortably settled in Steve’s arms but able to see his face now.

Close enough to kiss.

Eddie wanted to kiss.

“More than one?” He said instead.

"You're a handful." Steve smiled, a familiar, easy, mean thing. “I’ve left them a list.”

“A list?” Eddie huffed, wedging his arms in between the two of them so he could cross them over his chest before burrowing his head back into Steve’s neck. “You’ve left them a list like I’m some pedigree dog.”

“You are a pedigree dog.” Steve lifted his arm and patted him on the head, like he was petting him, like a dog, the bitch.

“I’ll miss you.” It was muffled and barely audible to Eddie’s own ears but Steve still heard it.

Of course he did.

Steve’s hand gentled, sliding to cup the back of his head. “I’ll miss you too.”

A car beeped outside and Steve finally let go, stepping back out of Eddie’s space.

Steve was leaving.

Steve was leaving now and Eddie wasn't doing anything about it. Was there anything he could do to make him stay? Anything he could do that wouldn't break the two of them?

With one hand on the front door Steve turned to look back at him. “See you in a few weeks, Eds.”

Eddie had to swallow down the golf ball in his throat and try to ignore the cavernous ache in his heart that had just sprung up to be able to respond but somehow he managed. “I’ll be waiting.”

With a small smile and two light pats on the doorframe, Steve was gone.

Eddie stood there with his arms clenched tightly around himself in his big empty rockstar foyer, in his big empty rockstar house long after the car had pulled away, long after the automatic sensor of the porch light switched off, long enough to feel the ache in his knees, his hips, his back from standing so still for so long. 

He trudged upstairs still in a haze, bypassing his bedroom and heading straight into the biggest guest room of the house.

It was always kept pristine.

Eddie had worried initially that Steve had felt unwelcome here when he’d first started using the room but then he slowly came to realise that that’s just who Steve was.

Neat and tidy.

In nearly everything he did.

Eddie slid under the covers and burrowed his head in deep, deep into the pillow that smelled of hairspray and amber cologne.

He swallowed around that fucking golf ball that was only getting higher, threatening to spill over as he pulled out his phone and dialled.

“Twinkie!” Her bright voice came through despite the late hour.

“Chrissy.” Eddie gasped out her name as his sob finally broke free, shocking himself at just how harsh it was.

“Where are you? What’s wrong? Do I need to call Steve?”

He hiccupped in a breath. “No, don’t call him. He's... I’m at home-”

“Okay, I’m on my way, honey.”

She stayed on the phone the whole drive over, they didn’t talk. He just quietly wept over the line until it went dead when her footsteps could be heard coming down the hall.

Chrissy crawled under the covers next to him without a word, just pulled him into her chest and let him cry.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 AO3

@lifeisnotsobadonceyoustopcaring @child-of-cthulhu @sweetwaterangel @anaibis @katytheinspiredworkaholic @littlewildflowerkitten

[beskarthief]

Chapter 3 of the Star Wars fic "Order 65". The rest can be found here.

19 BBY, Coruscant, Coruscant Underworld

 They'd traded one Imperial for ten thousand more. Rex shook his head. It was going to take a lot more than removing Rampart from power to take down the Empire. And they were running out of time.

 Watching Echo part ways with Clone Force 99 the night before had been bittersweet. Rex was eternally grateful to his brother for standing by him, but some part of him wished he'd stayed away. Out there, with the others, Echo's safety wasn't his responsibility. He didn't want to fail anymore of his men. Of his brothers.

 Jesse. Kix. Hardcase. Tup. Fives.

 The list went through his mind as he lay on the hard cot. He opened his eyes, watching the early morning sunlight play across the ceiling above him.

 Denal. Oz. Ringo. Echo.

 Metal clanged below him as his brother shifted on the bottom bunk. He still preferred to sleep down there, even now. He didn't say it, but Rex knew it was because sometimes, in the morning, he could imagine that Fives was in the bunk above like he used to be, still fast asleep.

 Echo rolled over again, nearing waking as the sun continued to shine it's pitiful few rays into the Coruscant underbelly. Not much light reached them down here, beyond the artificial kind. And there wasn't much of that to go around, either. But sometimes in the early morning, if the sun reflected just right off a descending transport, a few weak rays would shine into the tunnels that descended deep into Coruscant's underbelly and grace them with a faint bit of morning light.

 Rex watched as they finished their crawl across the ceiling and snuffed out. Below him, Echo shifted again. Metal clinked aginsat metal once more.

 Rex had failed his brother once already. He wasn't going to do it again.

 Rolling out of bed, he clambered silently down the ladder and paced out across the hangar bay. The Martez sisters had been kind enough to lend them the space while they were off scouting, but he knew they wouldn't be safe here forever. You could only hide under the enemey’s nose for so long before they caught a whiff. And Rex knew they didn't have the forces to back them up yet.

 It was just him, Echo, and Drixx. Once in a while, when he wasn't playing spy. The clone might be sour to speak to, but he could play a fine good Imperial. Rex wondered how long it would be until somebody found him out. Hopefully not until they had a plan in place to extract him.

 Because that was the problem. Rex had ideas, he had contacts, but he didn't have any plans. You couldn't have plans when all you had was three men and enough credits to last you a week, at best.

 Rex picked up his datapad from where he'd left it the night before and sat on a nearby crate. If they could just find out where they were taking all the clones, then maybe, just maybe, he could finally do something. They could finally end this kriffing war.

 "Couldn't sleep?"

 Rex glanced up to see Echo standing a few paces away, adjusting the socket of his arm how some people might stretch after a good night's sleep.

 "Have you heard anything from Drixx yet?" Rex asked, standing up and setting his datapad aside.

 Echo shook his head. "He said it would probably be a couple of days."

 Rex nodded, crossing to the crate they were using as a table and bracing himself against it, surveying the scattered notes and charts as though they meant something. Different systems and planets had been circled seemingly at random, all tips they had received as to where the captured clones might be being held. There were too many for them to check each one, but they had tried. So far, every lead had come up empty or, worse, they'd been too late arriving.

 Rex knew Drixx was doing his best with what he had, but there was only so much a clone Private could find out on his own. Clearance was becoming an issue. The fact that he was a clone was becoming an issue.

 "How are you holding up, Captain?" Echo asked, stepping up beside him.

 Rex sighed. "I'm nobody's Captain, Echo."

 That title had gone down with the Venator. And his men.

 "You'll always be my Captain, Rex."

 Rex glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. Echo's expression didn't read of pity, which was probably what he deserved. It was stoic, with a hint of that half smile his brother Fives had always worn.

 He took a deep breath. "No point sitting around while Drixx is out there risking his butt for us, then."

 Echo's hand flew to his forehead in a salute. "Sir, yes, sir."

 He moved to stand across from Rex, spreading out the maps and glancing down at them. "Where do we start?"

 Rex pointed to the nearest highlighted spot. He couldn’t give up on his brothers. Not yet. Not ever.

 "There. We start there."

[radioactivepeasant]

Ambush! It's an unscheduled Free Day Thursday!

It's my b-day and I can break my scheduling rules if I darn well please. And yes, it's more Meddling Mar. I'm chipping away at Faulty Info writer's block and working on a different project for a bit usually rejuvenates my writer brain.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

As much as he hated to admit it, the monks' disgusting "desert lily" juice did do a lot to make Jak less lethargic and thirsty. Not that he would ever admit it. It was embarrassing enough when the monks would come each day to make him practice walking. He hated that he had to lean on them for support just to get to the latrine. It had been days, right? Why did he still feel so weak? He'd been able to run mere minutes after the final dark eco injection!

Part of him wondered if perhaps he healed faster when he was in imminent danger. If the dark eco merely kept his body moving and in fighting condition, just waiting for the next chance to come out. Maybe it just went back to being a detriment when he was truly at rest. But how would he know? Jak didn't think he'd actually had a chance to sleep in since- well, probably since before he convinced Daxter to go to Misty Island with him.

By the third day, he was sick of it. Sick of the medicine, sick of feeling helpless, and sick of the boring beige clay covering metal wallframes imperfectly. So when Mar once again suggested an escape, he was pretty sure he could force his legs to keep moving long enough to see something other than this stupid recovery ward.

"There's stairs right when you get through the door," Mar told him as he hauled himself out of bed. "I haven't tried going up yet, but I know there's always somebody downstairs."

"Well let's just start with me not falling down the stairs and cracking my head open," Jak answered flatly. "Did either of you see what they did with my goggles?"

Mar lifted blankets and pillows, then turned to shrug. "Maybe we'll find them upstairs?"

Tugging Jak's arm with one hand, and grabbing Daxter's hand with the other, Mar tried to pull them out of the alcove. He was eager to leave, and with his brothers both awake, now was the perfect time.

 "So!" A booming voice echoed through the ward, curtailing the boys' escape attempt. "You've come back from the dead, have you?"

Jak instinctively shoved Mar behind him and whirled to face the door. The man blocking the exit wasn't the tallest person he'd ever seen, but his shoulders were broad and his frame was solid enough that Jak knew he wasn't going to be able to just push past him. 

"And here my monks were, ready to pray for you."

The man folded his arms across his chest and smirked.

Daxter tensed up and pointed. "Jak! It's-!"

Mar scowled. "Thats-"

"The Snitch?"

The man's smirk stretched into a sharp grin that put Jak in mind of a shark. 

"I'm afraid I'm here to ruin your escape attempt again, little Secret."

"Um."

Jak frowned and fruitlessly tried to push Mar behind him again, towards the beds.

"What are you talking about?"

The horned man -- or crowned or something -- strolled into the ward like he owned the place. "Well, every time I ask his name, he says it's "A Secret," after all."

He tilted his head towards Mar, that strange smile still glued on.

"Hmm, maybe I should have asked before. Do you prefer to go by "A-Sec"? Or "Cret"?"

Mischief sparkled in his dark eyes. 

"What about "Seek"? Should we call you Seek?"

Mar's face twisted in confusion. "You're weird."

Daxter snorted. "That is not the worst nickname you coulda gotten, kid. Trust me."

"Where are we?" Jak demanded. 

Fatigue pulled at his limbs, draining his resolve faster than he'd expected. But he didn't want to go back to bed, not until he had some answers.

"How did we get here? Who are you people?!"

"The nation of Spargus, I fished you out of the Strider Range, and Damas, king of Spargus, in that order," the man answered archly.

A king?!

In hindsight, Jak thought that might have explained the weird spikes coming out of his skull. But it didn't explain much else.

"Spargus?"

He said the name slowly, and fought back a yawn.

"Wait, nobody lives outside Haven's walls!" Jak sputtered, "Not a whole city!"

"Ah, yes." The king’s tone was dry. "We are the...forgotten ones. The refuse of cities like Haven, thrown out and left to die."

Oh.

Jak supposed it made sense that he wasn't the first person Haven had done this to, but it still managed to surprise him.

"Sounds like us," he muttered bitterly.

"Mm." The king stepped forward, straight into the little alcove where the boys had been sleeping. "Right: back to bed with you."

Mar shook his head fiercely. "Go away! It's not bedtime!"

Damas didn’t look offended. If anything, he looked amused.

"It is for Jak, little one. The sooner he sleeps off this ordeal, the sooner we can integrate you into the city."

The brothers glanced at each other. 

"Who said we wanted to be part of your city?" Jak demanded.

"We're trying to get to some place called the Lighthouse."

All at once, Damas threw back his head and laughed.

"The light- the Lighthouse?" He shook his head and spread his arms wide. "Young one, you're in the Lighthouse!"

Daxter hopped up to the bed when it became obvious that this Damas guy wasn't going to let them leave. 

"Uh, hate to interrupt here but- aren't lighthouses usually, y'know, near water?"

Damas smirked. He bent down and scooped up Daxter without so much as a by-your-leave, then held the offended ottsel up to the window cut into the stone wall.

"Tell me what you see."

It was the first time Daxter had gotten close to the window. He gripped the sill as a wave of nostalgia crashed over him. 

The air was clean, and clear.

He could see so far-!

"It's...it's the ocean!" he gasped.

"Jak! Jak, we made it to the ocean! And the water is still clean!"

"You serious?!"

Jak scrambled up onto the bed to peer out the higher window overhead.

Sure enough, seabirds wheeled over an endless expanse of blue. Waves rolled and crashed as though they'd never heard of all the pollution of Haven, and Jak could have sworn he glimpsed something absolutely massive moving under the water. 

It was so much like the view from Sentinel Beach.

Even after standing in the ruins of Samos’s hut, Jak knew that this was the closest he'd felt to home. 

Damas set Daxter down and leaned casually against the wall.

"So. A couple children from Haven, trying to make it to unmarked shores. What were you hoping to accomplish?"

Caught up in nostalgia, Jak absently answered, "As long as I can see the ocean, I'm still free."

Surprise creased the king’s forehead, followed by an unexpected understanding.

He nodded slowly. 

"You'd be surprised how many of us come to Spargus with the same thoughts."

Something wry and a little self-deprecating crossed his face. 

"And how many of us get here on the edge of death’s door, like you. The Lighthouse represents the hope of both freedom and rescue to those stranded by their enemies. Once we're rescued, though, our lives belong to each other and the nation of Spargus, to be used for the city's good."

Jak dropped from the window to crouch on the bed, and a dark, suspicious look entered his eyes. 

"What do you mean "belong to"?" 

If he noticed the boy’s abruptly hostile tone, Damas didn’t indicate it. He shrugged and tipped his head back as though deep in thought.

"Out here, strength and survival are what Wastelanders respect the most. We live in a harsh land, boy. In order for there to even be a nation to accept the exiled, we all had to work to reclaim enough desert to live on."

Damas pushed off of the wall and scooped up the mortar and pestle on the table. Ignoring Jak's groan, he began methodically grinding up one of the last two leaves of Desert Lily.

"Everyone pulls their weight in Spargus," he said, lifting the pestle to point at Jak, "Be they king or recent rescue. Some serve as warriors, some as scouts. Some make things, some tend animals, some teach and tend to what few children we are granted. Without one link, the chain falls apart."

Damas straightened and looked from Jak to Daxter to Mar, more serious now. 

"Let that be your first lesson in this city: through unity, we survive. If one person shirks or throws their work onto the shoulders of another, we all suffer for it."

Daxter folded his arms and scoffed. "Somebody tell Haven that. Right, Jak?"

Jak's frown was more pensive than suspicious now.

"Does everyone live by that?" he asked pointedly, "Or just you?"

The shark grin came back.

"Oh I learned it from an old woman here, when I was the half-dead stray. Those who have been here longer than twenty years all learned the value of unity long ago."

While Jak pondered the implications of that, Damas poured a little water into a bowl. Carefully, he tipped the mortar just enough for the bitter, gel-like juices and eco of the plant to slide into the water without splashing. After a moment's stirring, the king lifted the bowl to his own lips and took a sip. Instantly, he made a face and put it down.

"Ecch. That's not well filtered. I'm going to get a cheesecloth."

He stepped out of the alcove and began rummaging through the supplies the monks had lined up neatly on carts between alcoves. 

Mar blinked twice. "What...what does cheese have to do with Jak's medicine?! Why are you so weird?!"

Bemused, Damas shook his head and turned his attention back to the search. "It's- It's for straining. I do not know -- Ah, there's one! -- I do not know why it is called a cheesecloth either."

"Because you pour the whey into it to catch the curds when you're making yakkow cheese," Daxter supplied idly. "Whey goes through the weave, curds don't. Get it? Cheese-cloth, for cheese-making."

Catching Mar's surprised look, Daxter shrugged. "Kid, I went from the brat who mucks out the barn to owning my own pub. I know everything we use yakkows for. Everything."

Mar wrinkled his nose. "We didn't have any yakkows left when we got the Rift boat working. Metalheads ate em all."

Jak recoiled. "All of them?! What- what about old Zeb? What happened to him?"

He wasn't sure he wanted to know.

Sure, he'd known on a cognitive level that everyone who had lived in Sandover was long dead now. But when Mar had been living in the immediate aftermath of his departure, it was hard to think of the old folks dying. Especially if it had been in front of his younger self.

Mar shrugged with the careless nonchalance of childhood. "I dunno. Everybody that didn't get eaten moved to the jungle to hide in the Precursor ruins. We went back and forth a lot the first two years."

Jak's shoulders fell, and he nodded. "At least somebody survived, I guess."

"Samos always complains that it woulda been more if you'd gone back with us." Mar rolled his eyes. "Like he wasn't the guy who made you stay behind in the first place."

As he returned to filter the medicine, Damas read the small boy's signs in mild bewilderment. Rather quickly, he decided he wasn't going to poke that bear. Not while the boys were still recovering and in a potentially volatile state.

Samos was a name he recognized -- that Precursor History nut from the court of Haven, as he recalled, grandson of the last Green Eco sage. Damas had always found the man irritating. It seemed as if the little one, at least, shared his opinion.

"Mar, stop." Jak set his jaw and kept his signs low, partially out of sight. "We'll talk about it later."

The boy probably thought he'd been very discreet, but considering they were communicating with the lingua franca of Spargus, it was really pretty obvious. It was as if they believed they were the only signers present! Damas tucked the thought away to ponder later, preoccupied with the sign he guessed was little "Seek's" abbreviated name.

It bore a distinct similarity to his own son's nickname.

[donnerpartyofone]

Have you ever read any of Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol comic book stuff? I think it's so weird and overlooked

Is it overlooked? Isn't there a recent TV adaptation of it? I'd agree that it's not as big as Avengers or whatever, but frankly anything that's *smart* tends to be a little more niche and not-for-everybody, and that kind of makes it special, not to be such a snob. But no, I never read it, it's a personal failing. My exposure to the British Invasion is kind of spotty to be honest; I read a lot of Preacher and Transmetropolitan, not very much Hellblazer for some reason, I forget what else. I read From Hell and V and Watchmen, naturally, but I never forgave Alan Moore for Lost Girls, what an obnoxious piece of shit! The major Grant Morrison title I read (setting aside little random things like We3 and some Seven Soldiers stuff) was The Invisibles, which I was really hot and cold on. It's a great repository for Morrison's amateur pop culture scholarship and it is written with a kind of infectious passion, but I felt like if the premise is "the stifling forces of order and conformity vs. the liberating forces of rebellion and anarchy", that gets kind of sabotaged by the fact that the chaos agents still have to be represented as cliches and stereotypes for them to be legible to the reader. Like a true non-conformist wouldn't just look exactly like Johnny Rotten or whoever, a real rebel wouldn't be so straight-from-central-casting. So there's kind of a big flaw in the basic conceit, because in order to have archetypal resonance, you have to default to preordained cookie cutter images (in this case of flappers and mods and harlequins and stuff), which is the opposite of the whole idea of the winds of change and the triumph of individuality and everything.

I'm sorry, this is totally not what you asked, I'm just riffing now. I have every reason to believe Doom Patrol is really great! Maybe I'll get around to it some day, but I haven't read a superhero comic in a long time. The last time I read them really devotedly was in a time before irony, to be frank, and sometimes I find modern titles a little too *knowing*, like a little too smug and proudly self-aware at the expense of having an engrossing narrative with convincing characters. (And if the only alternative is soapy fetishistic bullshit of the Joss Whedon variety then I am REALLY not about it) It's funny because I have this memory of reading Grant Morrison's Marvel Boy miniseries that was drawn by J.G. Jones when it first came out and I was a teenager, and it blew my mind so hard! I thought Jones was everything, I would have done anything to be able to draw like him, and it didn't hurt that I knew somebody who was friends with him and I got to visit his studio once and it was probably pretty obvious that I immediately fell in love with him. But that Marvel Boy series had a bit of a meta, post-modern quality to it, which at the time wasn't so common and I found it really excitingly intelligent--so I raved about it to this friend of mine, one of my best friends in high school who was slightly older and who I looked up to in some ways, and he just sneered and spat something about how it's fucked up that comics aren't this innocent thing for kids anymore, and he refused to do more than glance at the pages of this very slick, adult book that I loved and wanted to share with him. And I mean now that everything feels like its saturated with this juvenile sense of irony, I kind of get where he was coming from! Even though I still think he was being a dick to me at the time, because in hindsight I've realized how our friendship was a total one-way street and he would say this stuff to me about how I was "still a mystery" to him and he'd make it sound like he was anxious to get to know the Real Me, but if I let him in on anything he didn't directly relate to in a personal way then he wouldn't even tolerate a conversation about it. Ahem. This is also not part of your question at all. But now you know! My sincerest apologies.

[whumptimebaby]

If it all ends tomorrow (alternate ending)

@wondero28 @5town ask you shall receive 🤝

CW: Mentions of plane crash, CPR, hospitals, mentions of temporary character death (?)

The italicized bit at the beginning is copy and pasted from the original fic, it’s just so you know when this takes place!!

Fic Below Cut

“They're here, they're ready to take over.” 

Aaron Z. looked up, meeting the eyes of a person in a bright orange jacket. Her bangs were plastered to her forehead. She gave him a kind smile. 

And then Robaire’s arms were around him, pulling him back. He was too exhausted to object. 

He watched them take over CPR. He watched them set up the AED. He watched them administer the first shock. 

Aaron T. jolted once, remaining limp. 

Another person, clad in an equally hideous orange jacket, watched the machine for any signs of life. 

“Nothing.” 

He sat there, and watched. Robaire didn't leave him. He didn't dare move, he didn't want to mess anything up, all the while they cycled through those steps. CPR, “clear,” shock, jolt, wait, repeat. At some point, one of the helicopters left with Jesse and Taeyoung. He supposed it should make him feel better, but he didn't want to be very far away from them, let alone let them disappear in another aircraft during a storm. 

He couldn't let himself lose hope. 

"Clear!"

Another jolt. Robaire's breath caught in his throat. 

He waited. Robaire waited. The search and rescue team waited. 

Beep. Beep.

"We have a pulse!"

He was weightless. Every ounce of pressure, every muscle in his body, every tense part of his soul eased. 

It was euphoric. Blissful. The rain stopped feeling like bullets against his metal skin, and became a cool, cleansing stream. 

He could be celebrating too early, but he knew it. He knew that some divine force had decided they needed to be five. Somewhere out there, somebody was on Aaron T.'s side, and that being was what changed whatever that crash was supposed to do. 

He knew, of course, that this wasn't meant to happen. Aaron T. shouldn't have regained his pulse, not after an injury like that. He knew enough about medicine for that. 

But it had happened, and to whatever force made that so, he was eternally grateful. 

"Ro." He nudged him. "It's over."

He squeezed Aaron Z. just a little bit tighter. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. We're going home."

"All of us?"

"All of us."

The search and rescue team split, some sticking around Aaron T. as they worked to keep him stable, and some busied themselves with checking Aaron Z. and Robaire. 

He found himself drifting. Now that safety cradled him and his adrenaline was fizzling out, the exhaustion settled back behind his eyes. He found himself fighting to keep awake, to answer the questions he needed to answer, to make sure he actually made it onto that helicopter.

***

Aaron Z. wished he was allowed to strut around the hospital and enter the other members rooms without permission from his nurse. He wished he had the freedom to do something as simple as going down to the cafeteria and picking his own lunch, but alas, the life of a celebrity. 

Ever since the company put out a statement saying that they had been involved in the crash, the hospital had been way more busy than it should be. To his nurse, Madison, he complained about them making the hospital staff's job much harder, but privately he was kind of honoured. 

They were there because they cared, you know? 

The receptionist had been collecting cards for them, so around twice a day he got a delivery of hand-drawn, sweet cards from the hospital hopping 4*Townies. 

His favourite card was done by a thirteen year old boy. He talked about his friend group a little bit, how they were all 4*Townies, and how his group of friends were all happy they were okay.

But that wasn't the part that made him love it. 

The boy went on to talk about how Aaron Z. had changed him, how he'd made him feel seen, and how someone who looked like him being successful made him believe that maybe he could be too. 

He talked about his love for basketball, his friends, and 4*Town. He wished him a speedy recovery. 

Aaron Z. was never letting this card go. It stayed on the tiny plastic table next to his bed. 

Speaking of the bi-daily card delivery, somebody knocked. 

"Come in."

Instead of the receptionist, or even his nurse, it was Taeyoung who poked his head in. 

"Surprise!"

"Tae!" He broke out into a grin. "What-"

"They just moved Jesse out of the ICU!"

"For real?"

Turns out, after getting Aaron T. on some IVs, it was actually Jesse who'd gotten the most seriously injured. He'd been pretty much entirely isolated since they got back from the island.

"Does this mean-"

Taeyoung wasn't letting him get a word in. "We can visit, yes, hurry up!"

He slipped out of bed, fumbling with the damn hospital slippers as his brain moved faster than his body. Taeyoung whisked around, not bothering to wait. 

He fell in step behind him, and soon, Robaire and Aaron T. did the same.

None of them said a word, not until they stood outside Jesse's room. His nurse was standing, arms crossed, in front of the door.

"Your doctors know you're here?"

"Mhm," Robaire said absentmindedly, "can we go in?"

"Ask him. He's allowed visitors."

Robaire slipped past Aaron Z., and knocked twice.

"Come in."

They opened the door.

Jesse's room was much nicer than his. He had a massive window, lots of natural light, and he suspected that his bedding was more comfortable too, considering how snug he was in it. 

Jesse watched them stream in with wide eyes. When they landed on Aaron T., his shoulders lowered, mouth fell agape, and eyebrows curved down.

"T.?"

"Hey." He waved awkwardly. 

Jesse looked between the four of them, speaking quietly. "You all see him too, right? He's really here?"

Aaron Z. nodded, a smile breaching his well-practised neutral face. "He's really here."

Jesse's eyes grew teary. 

"Nobody told you?" Taeyoung spared no time crawling onto his bed. 

He just shook his head, still fixated on Aaron T. 

Aaron Z. couldn't blame him. He'd done the exact same thing the first time they talked after everything. 

He nudged Aaron T., and despite seeing him, feeling him so many times before, it felt electric. That brief moment of contact was so warm, so real, so tangible that it made him relive their best times all over again.

God, he was a mess. 

Aaron T. turned ever so slightly, looking up at Aaron Z. with a tiny, probably unintentional pout. He nodded toward Jesse, and the two of them got closer to the bed. 

Jesse reached out, and cupped Aaron T.'s cheek. "It's so good to see you."

"I missed you too, super-grandpa." Aaron T. closed his eyes, and leaned into the touch.

Robaire chuckled, and sat on the far end of the bed. 

Taeyoung nuzzled into Jesse's shoulder. "You smell clean."

"Thanks?"

Aaron T. stole Jesse's hand, giving it a hearty sniff. "You do!"

Taeyoung sighed, shifting to get more comfortable. "I never thought anything would smell clean ever again."

"I bet it feels so nice to have showered."

"It actually really does," Jesse admitted. 

"Oh! Before I forget." Robaire reached a hand into his pocket. "I had a staff member bring this for you."

He opened his palm, revealing chapstick.

"Robaire!" He snatched it, popping off the lid and applying some. "Oh my God, you're the best."

"Hey! Robaire brings chapstick and suddenly you're done with me?" Aaron T. complained, "C'mon! Dote on me some more."

Jesse rolled his eyes. "I was done when you started talking about what I smell like."

"Besides," Taeyoung added, "you're the one who scared us half to death, you have no right to complain."

"In all fairness." He put his hands up. "Everyone thought I was dying, me included, so that like, cancels it out or something."

"It's good to hear you joke." 

Something on Aaron T's face shifted. "I'm really sorry."

"Hey." Jesse gestured for him to get onto the bed. "This is nowhere close to being your fault. Oh my God, it's really you?"

"Yeah?"

Jesse's eyes started to water. Again.

"Hey, hey, it's okay." Aaron T. snuggled in. "We all made it." 

Taeyoung tilted his head, the beginnings of a warm smile playing at the edge of his lips. "Why are you still on the floor Z.? Get up here."

Robaire shifted to make room for him. His eyes shot silent words 

Are you okay?

He nodded. Are you?

He nodded back.

"I missed you so much," Jesse sobbed, "I, you, you were gone."

"I know," Aaron T. mumbled, "and I'm back. I'm here."

"You're here."

They sat together, chatting, catching up, crying, laughing, and reminiscing until Jesse's nurse came in to inform them that Jesse really needed rest. They said their goodbyes, and one by one got escorted back to their rooms. 

On the way back, Aaron Z. stopped by Aaron T.'s room, just to briefly stand in the door and chat. 

He was standing by the window. "I can't believe they didn't tell him, that's so cruel." 

Aaron Z. just nodded. 

"You're quiet today," Aaron T. observed.

"Just taking everything in."

"Oh?"

He broke eye contact, his eyes drifting around the ugly, dark hospital room. "I can't believe they put you here."

"It's pretty bad, isn't it?" He tugged at the curtain.

"Wanna come back to mine?"

"Oh my God, you're inviting me to your place? After just one date? Very bold.

"A near-death experience will do that to you." 

He laughed. "In that case, of course I'll accompany you to your room, Mr. Ay-ron-zee."

"Not this again."

"I have 'literally died' privileges."

He blinked. "If you had privileges, I wouldn't be complaining."

"Okay, then don't complain."

He huffed. "Whatever, let's just get out of this room."

"Wow, you want me that bad?"

"Because this room is depressing, and it's making you act weird."

"Jeez, fine." He slung an arm around Aaron Z., and led the way out of the room. "Hey, actually, hold on a second."

A twinge of worry festered in his chest. "Yeah? You okay?"

He shook his hands out, laughing nervously. "So uh, I heard from the staff, they uh, they told me that I was... dead, before the search and rescue people were around, and that you did CPR for a bit."

Oh...?

"They also told me that." He averted his gaze. "If you hadn't done CPR, there was a pretty good chance that the search and rescue team would have been unsuccessful, y'know, in that regard."

Oh. 

"So I wanted to thank you." 

He didn't know what to say.

"For saving my life," he added, "thank you for saving my life. I know I joke a lot about you being my hero, but you really, really are."

"Aaron." He pulled his name twin into a hug.

"You're incredible."

He shut his eyes, a hand combing delicately through Aaron T.'s hair. "I seriously love you so much."

"I know." He could feel his smile. "I love you too."

They walked back to Aaron Z.'s room together, arm in arm.

Despite its briefness, their reunion as five was enough to make Aaron Z. glow. They were okay. Everything was going to be okay. It would take time, and work, and more pain than they could conceive, but that didn't matter because they were five. They were okay. Everything was going to be okay. 

Once again, Aaron Z. found himself thanking whatever cosmic force kept them together. He was starting to think that maybe they weren't just born for this, for each other, maybe it came from before that. Maybe their connection started back when everything started. 

Maybe these moments, the moments where they were bound to each other against all odds, were destined from the start. 

He liked that thought. As Aaron T. settled into bed next to him, warm, smiling, alive, he knew it was true.

[kervinredfire]

Loonatics KR Update: New Member, Character, Plus Sneak Peek Chapter!

Hello everyone. Still part of the Loonatics? Today I got new updates working on in Loonatics KR.

New Member: Today we got a new member for our project Loonatics KR. Thanks to @mysticinternetdinosaur we have just added @segamarkiii as the new member for Loonatics KR She is a Loonatics Unleashed artist who draws the art of Rip X Kit including her OC Tess to check it out in her account. Again thank you for being part of us!

2. New Character Koale: We have also added a new character in the for the KR cut named Koale written created by @mysticinternetdinosaur and drawn by @segamarkiii . In short this character will appear as a busker when meeting Ace and he will talk about joining in a contest to get the prize money. There is not much about him to avoid spoilers for the KR cut so you can check his OC here.

NOTE: You have no right to use this image or use this character without permission from the owner and you have no right to use for nfts

3. Sneak Peek: I felt bad for not posting the KR cut but we don't rush the stories. As of now here is a sneak peek for the special KR cut from Episode 1 Chapter 1 featuring the first KR cut character Koale.

NOTE: Please do not use the fic without permission

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Originally written by @purpleluckystar

KR-fied re-written by @mysticinternetdinosaur and @kervinredfire

"Stupid Dad and his stupid dojo..." Ace mumbled under his breath, looking at his feet as he walked who knew where.

He'd been walking for a good while already but didn't know how long exactly. He just kept going until the hills, where his house was located, were lost behind the city's skyscrapers. The noises of flying cars and busy streets soon took over and he found himself not far from Acme University, where he had been studying for the past three years to obtain a Martial Arts coaching degree – which, of course, had been forced onto him by his paternal.

His mind was still wrapped around his argument with his father. Why couldn't he understand that military life was his calling? Not like he hated martial arts, he found it to be of good use if somebody tried to mess with him. But being forced into it just for the sake of "legacy" was extremely annoying – if not oppressive. No matter what he said, Nao would never allow him to decide for himself. What kind of parent does that? And he was twenty-one, for goodness' sake! He shouldn't even have to obey his father's wishes!

Still lost in his thoughts, he didn't even see the tall, black limousine parking beside the sidewalk and the young lady getting out of it. Before he could even register her presence, they both bumped into each other. Ace felt the pain in his jaw and cursed between his teeth, putting his hand on his furry white cheek. He lifted his eyes toward the other person – a rabbit, just like him, with cream-colored fur and green eyes, wearing what he guessed was a cheerleading uniform. She was holding her head with a hand, most certainly where he accidentally hit her.

They both looked at the others, and right at the same time, they sputtered:

"I'm sorry!"

"No wait, I'm sorry," Ace objected, "I wasn't watching where I was going! Are you hurt?"

"I-I'm fine," the girl replied, still holding her head. "Just a bit stunned, that's all. What about you? I'm sorry, I didn't see you there!"

"Oh, nothing bad, don't worry!" he reassured her with a friendly smile, suddenly forgetting his anger from only a few seconds before. "I guess we both need to be more careful with our surroundings, right?"

The other rabbit nodded with an amused smile and, oh, welp, she was cute, Ace thought. She was around his age and could be attending Acme University too. But he never saw her before, so maybe she was on another course. There were more of them there than fingers on both hands after all.

Suddenly, the girl seemed to remember something as her expression changed for a concerned look.

"Oops, sorry, I have to go!" she excused herself, taking off toward a building a few feet from them. "And sorry again!"

She disappeared behind the doors of a multi-sports facility, leaving Ace alone where he stood while the limousine next to him finally left. Apparently, she was also rich.

He sighed; he was a bit disappointed he didn't get the chance to talk a bit more with her. At least that would have helped him ease his mind. Well, maybe he'd run into her again in the future, who knew?

Deciding he needed something to keep himself busy, preferring not going home yet, at least not until lunch, he thought about his options. Many of his classmates had already gone home to other states to see their families, leaving him on his own. He remembered there was a science forum at Acme University, but science wasn't his thing and it was mostly for future students who chose scientific courses. With a sigh, Ace finally opted to go to the beach. He didn't attend to swim – he had no swimsuit with him anyway – but rather found a quiet place to think.

The rabbit then walked until he saw a subway entrance and took off toward the west of Acmetropolis. Thankfully, he had his credit card on him to pay for a ticket. But while he was waiting, he could hear a familiar song play across the subway. It was an old song that he used to listen to a long time ago. The artist who performed that song had mysteriously disappeared during a series of events. He continued to go inside the train.

•••

The beach wasn't entirely quiet – it was right next to some restaurants and much smaller buildings than the skyscrapers in the middle of Acmetropolis. But for now, the place was mostly calm, with only the sound of the waves to break the silence. Ace didn't take his shoes off and simply walked on the almost white sand. He stopped only a few meters from where the waves gently crashed on the beach and lifted his brown gaze toward the horizon. He took a deep breath, feeling a small breeze caress his fur.

So, what now? He couldn't convince his father to let him live his dreams. Serving his country really mattered for him, but as long as he lived with his father, Nao would always come in the way.

Maybe... maybe he needed to move out. Find another place to live, far from his paternal so he would finally be left alone. He would have to find a job in another city to rent a small flat for himself, and once he saved enough money, he would be able to register in the army. That sounded like a good plan. Now he just needed to break the news to his father. Another day, of course; he had his fair share of arguments today.

As he was walking down the sand, he heard someone singing faintly in the air. He soon comes across an armadillo lizard playing on an electric guitar. The music is good to say the least. His voice was a bit scratchy, but the lyrics matched perfectly with the tempo. The busker finishes the song they were playing. He looks around, seeing that there is no one listening. Ace decides to tip him a few dollars. The busker takes notice of Ace's donation. "Thanks man!" He says in satisfaction.

"Sure, anytime." He says showing some slight stress. The lizard also takes notice of this. "Hey, why the blues?"

"Oh, uh. It's nothing really." Ace answers to him. "Just having a bad day, that's all."

"Really?" He says while tuning his guitar. "Well if it could cheer you up, got a song request?"

He was a bit surprised to hear this. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I am!" He answers, cheerfully. "Besides, I can play any song of any genre. Name it, and I'll play it. Your call."

He thinks of a song they can play. Then, a song comes up in his mind. "Can you play 'Faded Paradise' by Discorded?"

When the busker heard this, he was taken aback. "Uh..." He starts to look around in random places. "Are you sure you can't choose something else?"

Ace was confused by this statement. "But didn't you just say that you can play any song?"

"Sorry, any song BUT electronic." He says. "If you want, I can play anything else. I can play pop, folk, country, blues, R&B, jazz, rock, classical, classic rock..." He started to see Ace's disapproval of this. "You really want me to play this, don't you?"

"Just this one time?" He asked politely.

The busker sighs loudly. "Fine. But just this one time." He then started to play the song Ace requested. The performance of the song was beyond words. It was calm and peaceful, and it was as if his worries had faded away. He could only listen in awe at the way he was playing. The busker finally finishes the song. "So, how was it?"

"That was awesome!" Ace excitingly says. "You were able to sound like Discorded himself! It was perfect! Almost too perfect..." The song he played sounded familiar to the one he heard on the subway. He then started to put the two and two together. "Wait a minute..."

"Oh no." The busker says worryingly.

"You're Discorded!" He shouted. A few people started to stare at the two.

"Shhh! Not too loud!" Discorded whispered at him. The people ignored them and walked away.

"Fine, you caught me." He said, defeated. "I am Discorded. I mean, I was Discorded. But please just call me Koale."

"So this is where you've been for the past few years!" Ace says with excitement. "What happened to you?"

"Hum... Well... Uhhh... " Koala started to fiddle with his guitar pick. "Alright, I'll tell you. Just sit down with me for a bit, okay?"

Ace decides to sit next to him as Koale tells his story.

"I started to play music when I was around 14 years old." He said as he fiddled with his guitar pick. "For some reason though, no matter what I create, it becomes a total hit. Soon, some music producers found out about my talent and asked me for a partnership. I got a bit too cocky and said yes."

"What happened then?" Ace asked him.

"Let's just say I fell down hard. Very hard," He continued. "It turned out that I wasn't really making as much money as I thought. And I was a fool back then. I started to spend my money on almost everything. Clothes, shoes, and music gear; I wasn't keeping track of my savings. Eventually, they decided to cut my partnership with them and do it with some other dude."

Koale took a moment to inhale his vape pen, then blew out a big puff of vapor. "After that, everything went downhill for me. I lost my career, my so-called friends left me, and I basically shamed myself. I just couldn't handle the pressure I was under. So I left my hometown and drove to anywhere I could go. During my travels, however, I heard that Acmetropolis was going to be holding a music competition with a big prize at the end. So yeah, that's why I'm here."

He then looks up at the clear blue sky. "But I'm super nervous right now. What if I fail again just like I did last time? I don't want to go through that again."

"I think I can feel the same way." Ace finally talks to him. Koale looks at him with curiosity. "Oh?"

Ace continues with his problems. "I've been getting into fights with my dad recently. For some reason, he doesn't approve of the ideas I have. I want to go into the military and help others, but he wants me to inherit our family legacy when he becomes old. But I'm twenty-one for crying out loud! I already have dreams of my own! I don't want to be trapped inside the dojo for the rest of my life!"

"So, a 'dream being held down' type of problem?" Koale replies.

"I guess you can say that." He answers.

Koale takes another puff from his pen. "I don't think he's wrong. Being in the military is a hard thing to do. He probably just wants to keep you safe."

"C'mon, my father raised me in martial arts." Ace interrupts Koale. "I think I'll be fine."

"Fine, show me some of your moves."

Ace starts to show him some of the moves he was taught over the years. There were a few punches here and there, but one of the moves that really got his attention was when he jumped and did a roundhouse kick. After that, Koale was left speechless.

"Whoa..." He said in awe. "Okay. I think you'll be fine."

Ace wipes some of the sweat on his fur. "I'm glad I got some of that out of my system, but I need to go now. Thanks for helping me talk about my issues."

"No problem," Koale says. "But I think you should patch things up with your father. Try to see if things can work out. Take it easy."

Ace waves at him. "Later." He continues to walk on the sand.

[chefdoeuvre]

Aftermath

Jay Halstead

Pairing: Jay Halstead x Sister!Reader

Description: People always tend to forget about the aftermath.

Words: 2,122

Requested: yes by anonymous; second, if it's ok i wanted to request a part two to the imagine? i was wondering if you could just explore the aftermath of her assault, as she continues to heal and accept what's happened to her. by this i mean experiencing ptsd and having nightmares, flashbacks and dealing with certain triggers. also, maybe she could still sometimes turn to substances as many survivors do, and just break down sometimes. obviously since it's a halstead sister fic and i love the support system in the last story, i'd love to see jay helping her through everything and being super protective + some scenes with the rest of intelligence? but it's obviously up to you. thank you so much <3

Warnings: mention of drinking, sexual assault, drugs, language, PTSD, Jay Halstead and all of Intelligence being the best.

A/N: This is the long awaited part two to Infliction, and by long-awaited I mean like a month later. I tried to make the end light hearted because it seemed like a good way to go. I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors.

—

It had been a few weeks since the party and things were beginning to look up. You and Brayden started hanging out more and it was safe to say the two of you were on your way to becoming best friends. The group of guys had all been arrested and sent far away from you. You, Jay, and Will have been having more frequent family movie nights instead of them heading out to Molly's every free night they got. Intelligence had basically adopted you as one of their own and even went out of their way to hang out with you. Kim and Hailey had girls nights away from the ever-annoying guys they work with. Adam and Kevin practically chauffeured you to hangouts with Brayden and took you out to your favorite diner on the weekends. Even Hank had called you once in a while as a check-in and to keep you informed about your case. Overall things seemed to be getting better for you.

Except for one little detail. Your PTSD was hitting you like a truck. Of course, the only person who even remotely knew what was happening was Brayden because he was the one person you spent most of your time with. Thankfully he was there to help ground you and calm you down when it all became too much for you. This wasn't sudden, it's been building up since it happened and clearly you needed to work on accepting it rather than shoving it all down. That's one thing you and Jay had in common, the two of you always had trouble addressing your problems no matter how big they became.

Currently, you were laying in bed and staring up at your ceiling that Jay had covered in stars for you. If there was one thing about you is that you still are a child at heart. You had been shocked awake by your recurring nightmare. It always followed the same premise of the night of the party but every night there were either different people, points of view, or different actions you took that still led you to the same outcome. There were dried tears staining your cheeks that you hadn't bothered to wipe away and every few moments there would be a soft sniffle to break the eerie silence.

Having enough of staring up at your ceiling you let out a low huff and pushed yourself up to a sitting position. You turned to the side and looked at the clock resting on your nightstand. The clock read 4:19 AM which was clearly too early for you to be up but too late for you to try and go back to sleep before Jay's rustling while getting ready would wake you up. Reaching over to open the drawer in your nightstand you checked the small bottle hidden under the glasses case that held your blue light ones. It was three-quarters full of vodka you had inconspicuously stolen from Jay's cabinet. You kept promising yourself that you wouldn't drink anymore, but clearly, that wasn't really panning out in your favor. Sure you would have a swig or two before braving yourself and heading off to school but it was to take the edge off, not to get drunk.

If Jay were to check through your drawer he'd probably think otherwise. You had stopped with the pills since he had found you, but what he doesn't know won't hurt him so you continued to drink. Obviously, it wasn't a lot and definitely not enough to get you drunk off your ass. You just wanted to be buzzed enough to have the courage to walk into your dreaded school every morning and deal with the numerous triggers you kept on discovering.

Eventually, it was time for you actually start getting ready for school. Jay had already left for work a while ago, leaving a kiss on your head before stepping out the door. You pulled on a random outfit that was comfortable and your usual pair of shoes before throwing your backpack over your shoulder and walked downstairs. Deciding against your worst judgment you made the choice to brave the day without the buzz of alcohol. Waiting at the front entrance of your building was Brayden. Like every morning the two of you would walk to school together if Jay had to go into the district early. If Jay only had paperwork that day he would drive the two of you to school instead, but that didn't happen very often.

The two of you walked to school silently, only exchanging a few words of greeting. Once you had made it to the large building you both had to split up for your classes. The day went on like usual, boring teachers droning on about upcoming assignments and tests. Lunch had arrived after what seemed like forever and you sat at an empty table practically half asleep. You held your head in your hand as you kept your eyes from slipping shut at the exhaustion.

"You not feeling too hot there?" One of your classmates from English asked as he passed by.

You froze at the familiar words before shaking yourself out of the memory.

"Fine, just tired." You brushed off their comment as he nodded with an understanding smile before continuing to his table.

Moments later the door opened and you picked your head up reluctantly. It was a few guys on the football team.

"You not feeling too hot there?" One of the seniors asked you.

You simply shook your head which only worsened the pain in it. The boys walked a few steps closer before placing their hands on your shoulders. They shoved you back onto the bed and immediately your body began to react.

You kicked and punched aimlessly to get them off of you but your movements were uncoordinated and your mind was foggy. There were too many of them and they began to overpower you, their hands wandering to unwanted places.

“Y/N?” Brayden’s voice pulled you out of the flashback.

“Huh?” Your teary eyes darted around his face before focusing on his concerned expression.

“Let’s head to the library, all right?” Brayden suggested already standing up from his seat across from you.

You nodded silently before hiking your bag over your shoulder and walked to the library beside him. Luckily at your school, they were lenient enough to let you head to the library during lunch. Usually, the kids didn’t take advantage of it but it was an unspoken spot of peace for you and Brayden.

The two of you sat at a table near the back and Brayden pulled a chair up beside you.

“Want to talk about what happened back at lunch?” Brayden asked softly.

You bit your lip in contemplation. This had been happening for weeks and every time you’d shake your head and change the subject. But the fact was it wasn’t getting better and you just needed to tell somebody that you weren’t okay. A few tears slipped out of your eyes which led to quiet sobs escaping from your lips. Brayden offered you a hug with outstretched arms, making sure to check if you were okay with it. You leaned forward into his embrace and squeezed his waist tightly. He held you there while rubbing soothing circles on your back until your cries stopped. You lifted your head off his chest and wiped away the remained tears on your cheeks before speaking up.

“Uh, flashbacks. I’ve been getting them for a while. I thought they’d go away, but they haven’t.” You explained with a sigh, avoiding his gaze and instead taking interest in your hands.

“Okay first, if they happen again tell me, or pull on my sleeve and I’ll get you somewhere quiet. Got it?” Brayden bent his head to try and get into your eye line.

You nodded your head with a hum before he spoke up again, “since they haven’t gone away maybe you should talk to someone. Preferably a professional, but if you’re only comfortable telling me then I’m all ears. Although, I’m not sure that I can cure you with magic, wish I could though.” Brayden tried to lighten the mood with his magic comment.

“Thanks, Brayden. Jay actually has been bugging me about seeing a therapist. Said it helped him with his PTSD, I think I might take him up on it.” You looked up at the boy with pursed lips.

“That’s good. Just know we’re not trying to force you into anything, we just want you to feel better however long that may take.” Brayden gave you a soft smile.

“You are wise beyond your years, you know that?” You smiled back with a small laugh.

“I try, I try.” Brayden shrugged nonchalantly.

“Can you come with me to the district after school?” You asked cautiously.

“Of course, not like I’d rather do my homework.” Brayden laughed.

“And there’s the Brayden I know.” You smiled widely.

Soon enough you and Brayden had been making your way to the twenty-first district to talk with Jay and probably the rest of Intelligence. The air was lighter between the two of you once you had finally started to open up. Of course, you hadn’t spilled everything but the little you had told him made the weight on your shoulders lessen slightly.

“Ah, baby Halstead and company, what brings you here?” Trudy greeted from the front desk with a tight-lipped smile. Even if she didn’t want to admit it, she had a soft spot for you.

“Can you ring us upstairs? I need to talk with Jay.” You asked.

“You’re lucky they haven’t caught a case today.” Trudy walked out from behind her desk and led you and Brayden upstairs.

“Thank you, Trudy.” You smiled and followed the woman.

“I have a special delivery for Detective Chuckles.” Trudy spoke up once the three of you reached the top of the steps.

Jay’s head snapped up from his desk with a look of confusion when his eyes landed on you. He quickly stood up and scanned you over for anything.

“What happened, are you all right?” Jay cupped your cheek in concern before sparing a glance at Brayden for any sign of something bad.

“I’m okay, I just needed to talk to you.” You reassured him.

“All right. You wanna head into the kitchen?” Jay asked.

“No, we could talk at your desk. They’re all gonna find out anyway.” You gestured to the rest of the unit who was watching the two of you intently.

Jay nodded his head and led you to his desk. You reached out and held onto Brayden’s arm as you pulled him along to take a seat and sit beside you. Of course, at this, the entire unit had gathered around with concerned faces once you started to explain to them. Jay’s expression was held with soft eyes as he listened to you agree with wanting to try therapy and asking for help.

Once you were done Jay stood up and placed a kiss on the top of your head before whispering into your hair, “I’m proud of you.” Jay pulled away to give you a warm smile.

“All right come here you little muffin.” Kim held out her arms with a smile.

You stepped forward into her embrace as she squeezed you tightly, she rocked the two of you from side to side eliciting a small giggle out of you. Hailey joined the hug with a laugh once Kim pulled her by the arm.

Antonio placed a hand on your shoulder once you, Hailey, and Kim pulled away, “I’m proud of you, kiddo.” He offered you a kind nod.

“So proud.” Kevin gave you one of his signature bear hugs.

“Okay, it’s my turn.” Adam squeezed his way to stand in front of you. Which caused everyone to laugh at his eagerness.

“I could never forget about you, Ruz.” You wrapped your arms around his shoulders as he lifted your toes off the ground.

“Are we done yet? You guys are treating my sister like an attraction.” Jay sassed.

“You’re just mad that you only got to kiss me on the head and not a hug.” You retorted from leaning back into Brayden with a smirk.

“No, not true.” Jay shook his head with furrowed brows.

“Yup, totally jealous.” You nodded convinced.

“How did we go from a serious topic to Halstead and mini Halstead having a sarcasm battle?” Adam questioned with a confused expression.

“I learned to stop questioning it.” Brayden shrugged from behind you.

“It’s how we cope. Halstead thing, I guess.” You said with raised brows.

“Fair enough.” Jay sighed.

[lstories]

Emma and Gaudi(um)

I do plan on writing a prequel or two but for now, I still got school, life, and other projects that have been coming out of nowhere.

(Safe, soft, vore, unintentional fearplay)

Wordcount: 2572

Olivia was over the moon with happyness and she could barely contain it to keep herself from passing out. "We were just wrapping presents and Felix couldn't figure out how to keep his presents wrapped. Eventually, I decided that I should start taking the presents out to the car and when I came back in he gave me a present to unwrap. He had wrapped up and framed the acceptance letter for the college I applied for!"

"That's amazing, Olivia! I'm so glad you'll get to do this. What will you be doing though?" Emma was deffenetly happy for her friend. They haven't had much time to catch up due to their new lives they built for themselves and each other.

"Well, I plan on going into theoretical sciences but I don't know exactly which study I should focus on. But to do any of that..."

Emma could see the sadness corrupting her friends happiness. She knew what was making Olivia sad and she didnt want say it either.

"You'll have to move out of the states."

Olivia's face shifted in guilt and she stared back down at her nearly empty drink. The silly straw hanging over the side got her to smile just a bit as she watched the bubbles move back down.

"I don't want to leave, but this is exactly what I've wanted for a few years now." She had built her whole life here and now she had to choose which way she went in her new one. It started to hurt her as much as the first time she had to leave somebody she had grown to call family.

"Well your not leaving for the rest of your life right? Once you're done with collage, I'll be the first to welcome you home." Emma knew Olivia was scared, she was too, but she couldn't let her friend feel any worse.

"I also don't want to quit your company." They had made their program when they worked out of Emma's garage. Eventually they just kept branching out into new businesses and it kept working.

"Who said anything about quitting? You helped me build this company so your just as much a part of it as I am." She held onto Olivia's shoulder to reassure her. Olivia smiled and took the last sip of her drink. "We have business over there too and I'll make sure you can get a good paying job that won't hinder your college education, ok?"

Olivia looked back down at her drink, she didn't want to have everything made for her but, she also knew how persistent Emma could be. "That'll be great, thanks, Emma." She just smiled back at Olivia. "Well, sorry this was short but, it was good catching up one last time. Felix and I should get the last of the boxes packed."

"Maybe when you get back, you, Felix, Gaudi, and I could go on a double date?" Emma had never met Felix in person but she had heard him when she was talking with Olivia.

"Ya, maybe." Olivia knew Emma or Gaudi could never meet Felix, they wouldn't understand, but it is nice to dream about. "See you soon, Emma. You too Gaudi."

Emma gave a light wave goodbye while she fought against the frown forming over her smile. She didn't want her friend to leave, but as the carved wood and glass doors closed, it finally set in that she might not see Olivia for possibly a couple of years. Emma could feel her eyes start to sting and her muscles forced themselves into a frown. The bottem half of her vision was going blurry and she couldn't stop a choked sob that escaped her throat.

"Hey, are you ok? Is there anything I could get for you?" Gaudi couldn't help but be a bit protective of Emma. Sadness radiated off her and he wanted to fix that.

"No, maybe? I don't know. I just- I don't want to lose Olivia." she couldn't help but bury her head into her arms and let out another choked back sob.

Gaudi walked out from behind the counter carrying an almost finished drink he'd prepared. "Heyyy, this isn't going to be the last time you see her, you even said it yourself. Plus, you said you were going to hire her into one of the diffrent chains, maybe you could personally check if the store's up to code whenever you want to see her." He had sat down in the stool next to Emma and began to finish the last of the drink. "Maybe try to keep some memories fresh, like... how did you two meet?" Gaudi didnt know much, if not anything about Olivia.

Emma looked back to him and raised her body to talk in an almost professional way. "Well... we were..... I was working on........." Emma couldn't remember how they meet. The only memory of Olivia she had besides the past year or two was just a still image of her and Olivia working on a black screen. "Uhh... could we talk about this some other time?"

Gaudi's face shifted in disappointment. He had wanted to know something about Olivia but there wasn't much to know. "Of course." He had the finished drink ready and made a big show of putting it down in front of Emma.

Emma couldn't help but let out a small laugh as Gaudi took the time to pick out the perfect coaster and bow in his stool as he set the drink down before hopping slightly away. Gaudi always knew how to make her smile. "Umm... could I ask you for a weird favor?"

"Of course. What do you need me to do." Gaudi stood up and dragged his chair back to the counter before sitting back down next to Emma.

"R-right... uhh, could..... do you remember when you first showed me you were a dragon?" She knew what she wanted to ask but she couldn't find the right words.

Gaudi was a bit taken aback, leaving silence to hang in the air for a few seconds. He was a bit confused and the echo in the back of his voice confirmed it. "Of course, but I thought you said you never wanted to talk about it again." Emma could barely get over it but she eventually began to see him as a friend again, but she had said that nightmares haunted her every night.

"Well, ya. I didn't want to remember it, but you're still the same person when you're a dragon so you- I know you won't hurt me." She had to close her eyes while talking, Gaudis dragon form looked like it was just forming in the air behind him.

"Are you sure you-"

"Yes! Just do it before I change my mind."

"Alright, as long as you promise this will make you feel better."

...

"Yes, I promise."

Gaudi didn't want to scare her and have a repeat of what happend the fist time, but if this is what she wanted, he would help. He walked into the a more open part of the house. His skin began to shift as his scales repeatedly flipped over, replacing his skin bit by bit. The air around him started to dance as his wings began to appear out of nowhere. His size steadily increased as his dragon form took over.

Emma, braced herself to keep her from screaming or running away, but... nothing. She wasn't scared of Gaudi. He was still a dragon, but not like she remembered. There wasn't any curling horns or bared teeth, the small grove of spikes along his back seemed dulled down and otherwise harmless. He had soft paws rather than the huge claws she rememberd. His eyes were bigger and not focused on her than the glaring she thought she rememberd. They almost seemed sad, maybe worried. "Oh, Gaudi, are you ok?"

"I thought that's what I was supposed to ask you." He couldn't help but smile as she talked to him like normal. He didn't want Emma to think he was a monster again. He had built up so much trust over the past few months and he was scared that it would be thrown away in an instant. "Is there anything you need me to do before I change back?" It felt nice to be in his dragon form but he wanted to change back as soon as possible. The longer he was a dragon, the higher the chance he might scare Emma.

Emma stared for a while. She wanted to ask for the very thing that was giving her nightmares. She looked back down at her drink while beginning to take a sip. She stopped when she saw the runes on the lid. She set the drink back on the coaster, she didnt want to be awake for too long. The words swirled in her head as she stood up. "Uhhh... c-could you..... there.... I-I just n-need you to......" everything was telling her to stop as tears started to from in her eyes. She couldn't find the words to tell him. Her mind was yelling at her to just go to bed for a week and forget this happend! Everything was getting so loud! "I JUST NEED YOU TO EAT ME!" Her eyes went wide as tears finally started to stream down her face as she fell to her knees.

Gaudi flinched backwards as Emma yelled at him, he didn't know she could be so loud. But the question caught him more off guard. "...what?"

Emma, was balling into her hands at this point. Had she believed that he was just going to eat her the second she said that? "P-p-please, I j-just need you to... e-eat me."

Gaudi felt like he was going to cry. Had he messed up? What prompted her to want to be eaten? "W-why?"

Emma didnt want to tell him. "I-it..." She had said, time and time again that she would never tell anyone! "I j-just wanna...." She might as well tell him to get out beacuse he would never forgive her! "S-s-so warm....." Why did she insist that this was a good idea! "It w-was so......" He's just going to leave! "I WANT TO SLEEP!"

Gaudi laid down onto his stomach as a million questions flooded his brain, but there was one that stood out. "How would me... eating you, help you sleep?"

Emma didnt want to tell him. Everything was going wrong and she just wanted a hug from Gaudi. "E-everyone says face your fears, a-and being i-in there somehow h-helped me feel better."

Gaudi wanted to give Emma a hug, she looked so sad and scared it was hurting him. How long had she felt like this? Was it normal for humans to do this? One of his siblings would be better prepared for this. "I... I don't want to-"

"Gaudi please, I get three hours of sleep a night and it's always a nightmare. I don't want to be scared anymore."

Gaudi stared at her for a second, it hurt him to see her this scared of him again. He reached out one of his paws, bringing her closer and nuzzling her with the side of his head. "I don't want to hurt you." Gaudi nearly fell over when he felt Emma's arms wrap around his neck.

"I know you never will."

Gaudi wanted to melt. How did she trust him enough to ask to be eaten. "I... (sigh) Only if you promise that this will make you feel better."

...

"It will."

Gaudi reluctantly let go of Emma after a minute. She walked in front of him as he stood up. "So, what should I do."

Emma looked at him, she was still scared but Gaudi could cheer her up, he always had. "Um. Could you just... bring your head down?"

Gaudi had to close his eyes as be brought his jaws down over Emma, he didnt like knowing that he was eating his only friend. As Emma's cheek hit his tounge, he could taste the same milky chocolate he was regrettably craving. He could feel Emma shaking and he wanted to reassure her that she was ok, but he knew if he lifted his head he wouldn't be able to help Emma. He brought his head down a bit more, bringing Emma up to her waist as he continued to cover her with saliva. He lifted his head up, bringing Emma with it and giving him confirmation that she was scared. She was deffenetly fighting every urge to struggle. Gaudi was nearly on the verge of tears again, he didnt want Emma to be scared. He couldn't help but think this was the wrong decision. Emma began to slide down his throat and he couldn't help but purr at the feeling of something heavy moving towards his stomach. He gave one last swallow, sending Emma completely to his stomach. The weight settling in his middle started to make him drowsy as he felt Emma stop struggling.

"Are you ok?"Emma needed to be ok, if he let himself go threw with this and she wasn't ok he would never forgive himself.

"I'm... ya, I'm fine. Thanks." Emma wasn't able to let herself feel last time she was eaten, and it surprisingly felt wonderful. Everything was so soft and she had a bit more room than she initially thought she would.

"You seem to be a lot calmer."

"Ya, thank you, it's a lot nicer than I remember, but may I also try to sleep?"

"Sure, I (yawn) also need to take a nap."

"Hey! You're only supposed to sleep after eating from a Thanksgiving meal!" She lightly punched the top of the stomach for emphasis.

Gaudi couldn't help but purr at the feeling of something moving in his stomach. "Ya, you're right. You're not Thanksgiving dinner sized. Not human dinner sized at least.

Emma scoffed at his remark and began to flail wildly with a grin on her face. He really could make her smile at nearly any situation. "When I get out I'm going to hunt you down."

Gaudi nearly collapsed as Emma moved around. Instead of the firm punching and kicking, it was instead a weird form of rubbing. He barely caught himself on the counter. The gentle cracking from the expensive stone had him make sure to stay away from it. "Cant you already see me?"

Emma hadn't realized it but she didnt have her eyes open. It was a sight when she did open them. The slick walls shown with small streaks of a bright pink bioluminescent flesh. It was pretty amazing. "It... thanks (yawn) Gaudi."

Gaudi couldn't help but let out his own yawn. It was contagious. "Goodnight."

He was tempted to lie on the floor and sleep there but he had enough energy to walk to his room and luckily Emma installed large doors so he could walk around the house to stretch out his wings when she wasn't home. The four large king sized beds were enough for Gaudi to sleep comfortably on without hurting his wings. He flopped onto his side and began to lay a hand over his gut. Emma's balled up form underneath his scales made him happy, knowing that Emma was safe with him. It's a good thing he was scared over nothing, maybe they could do this again without being so scared.

[pandaluc]

Love and Envy, all because of you.

When you like somebody else rather them

Characters included: Diluc, Kaeya, Childe, Jean

Warnings: not proof-read, very slight mentions of wine and fighting

g!n reader

Diluc

Diluc falling in love is something rarer than winning the lottery. So when this man falls in love, he falls really hard. Stutters, awkwardness, stares, and try-hardness. He does these all as long as you are in his sight.

However, he took such a long time to confess because fear had took over him. He feared to lose you as well, just as the way he lost his father. And well, to his surprise, he regretted not confessing earlier.

He decided to go work in Angel's Share and creek. The door swings open with Kaeya's arm around your waist, and you staring lovingly at Kaeya's eyes. Diluc's mood definitely got worse. And the fact that yoh are with his brother? He knows he has no right to get upset, but he can't ignore this burning flame in his heart the moment he saw the both of you.

He tries to maintain his composure, but deep in him was a mix of lots of emotions. He is annoyed, upset, sad, and disappointed all at the same time. And well it's not too good of a reason, but he might start treating Kaeya more harshly than before.

He is envious. In all people in Teyvat, why his brother? He can't help but stare at the both of you, thinking on the many decisions he went wrong. Thinking those opportunities he should've confessed but didn't. And the more he stares, the more his madness gets replace by sadness.

He lost again one of the few people he always treasured in his life. Though he knows that he should be happy because you are laughing joyfully in Kaeya's arms, but he can't help but imagine him being the source of your smiles.

Ever since, he will start to avoid you and will throw out his anger in paperwork and hilichurls. He distracts himself a lot, and makes sure he is very busy so that you will get off of his head and heart.

If he has to talk to you, he will make sure to have a stern face with a cold voice. He will do everything simply to push you away from him. And sometimes, he would say offensive words he didn't mean just to push you away. He does realize how much you'll get hurt when you and his friendship dies, but deep down in him he knows that this is for the good.

Kaeya

Ah yes, Kaeya, a very charming person and surely, lots in Mondstadt thinks so too. He is also a flirt and quite social, a reason why you both are friends for a very long time now.

And in his thinking, maybe it won't be such a bad idea to perhaps upgrade your relation to one another. It took him long enough to realize that he had grew feelings towards you.

He would worry a lot when you get hurt. He would make sure that nobody makes you feel uncomfortable. He started to be careful of his duties as the Cavalry Captain just so that he could see you once again. Heck, he even tried his very best to sound genuine instead of flirty when he compliments you. He was even prepared to quit drinking if that's what you find in a man. Sadly, all of his goodness, to you, was just friendliness.

After lots and lots of thinking if he actually have feelings for you, he finally decided to confess. Not until you came running up to him, continuously talking about this man you know that you fell so in love with. "May I know who is this man you fell in love with?". He took his chances but sadly, the name you said was not his. Disappointment filled Kaeya's heart, but at the same time, he found it funny. Funny, that he spent so much time making sure of his feelings that he didn't even get the chance to confess. Funny, how his confidence suddenly broke down when he knew that you had feelings for someone else.

He wanted to tell you that maybe he was the one for you. But, you looked so happy talking about this man you fell in love with. And kaeya is a smart man. He knew at that very moment that he didn't stand a chance. And that he will never be with you.

Even so, he agreed helping you to convey your feelings to the man you love. If it's only friendship you and he could have, then he will take it rather than being acquaintances. He'd remind you here and there to not get your hopes so high for this man, but everytime he does so, you force to him that you are sure of your decisions.

Because of you, he had gathered so much pain in his chest. Much pain that only wine could temporary wash off. During the evening, he'd tell you that he will be doing captain duties when in reality, he goes to his home drinking all the wine he could trying to forget about the pain you had caused him.

In times where you talk to him, he'd still seem normal and as if nothing is hurting him. But deep down, he just wishes to wrap his arms around you and be the man that will love you until the end of life.

Childe

You and Childe had been very close. He was comfortable with you. He wasn't afraid to show you his downsides, and the times where he cannot do anything but pour tears out. He did not want to hurt you as well. As much as he found fighting fun, he did not want to fight with you, ever.

That is when he realized that he had fallen in love with you. He denied it to himself a number of times but he just can't stop thinking of you. "Are they safe?" "Do they need anything?" "What if they feel alone?" "What if I lose them?". The moment he realized, he wanted to confess. He wanted to be yours. But he feared that him being part of the fatui will be a hindrance to your relationship and may affect your well-being. After all, he rarely gets time to stay and spend time with you.

But the moment he felt the feeling of envy, that is when he thought to himself that he will indeed confess and not give you up. While he was in Liyue's woods, he saw you walking with this man he does not know. He saw your hand holding someone else's. He saw your eyes full of love while staring at someone else's eyes. That exact moment, he decided to meet you as soon as possible and confess his feelings.

He was aware that it might make things awkward and that it might break the both of your friendship. But he wanted to at least do what he can, and take his chances. Some would say he was desperate, but to him, he was simply hopeful. He was hoping and wishing that you will be his.

And so he tried. But he couldn't. He felt scared. He knew he did not stand a chance. So instead, he tried to convey his feelings through actions, not through words. And he hoped to all of the archons and celestial gods that you will realize how much he yearns for your love.

Though in relationships, he doesn't get possessive and jealous easily.. Even if the both of you are just friends, he quite had become just a bit possessive and protective of you. How could you blame him after all? He really wanted you to be his, and for you to know it. He was willing to give anything and everything to you. He would even quit the fatui, despite his loyalty to the Tsaritsa, if that was the reason why you cannot love him back. Sometimes, he'd use his words to hint his feelings for you. "Is that man really all that? Don't you think that I may be better after all?" "Don't keep your hopes high though, he may leave you one day". However, you all took these phrases simply as a friendly way. Or even in a platonic way. After all, there was still a glimpse of a non-seriousness in his tone.

He had thoughts of using his fatui harbinger title to scare the man loving you off. But remembering your smile when you talk about this man, he'd rather set you free to make you happy than to see you all his with sadness in your face.

It cannot be avoided. You and his friendship was slowly but very slightly falling apart. He started to bottle up emotions and hide them from you. You started to spend more time to with your man, and less with him. And it saddened and angered him. But after much thinking, maybe it was good after all. Now that he spends less time with you, maybe his feelings will drift away. Just maybe.

Jean

The acting grandmaster of the Knights of Favonius. Always so busy with work, and sometimes pressured to help others that she would try to do more than what she could. It was a very stressful life for her, barely getting a chance to rest and take a breath. But you went to her life. She admired and appreciated you oh so much. You would remind her to always eat and sleep. You would do your very best to help her in her duties, even if she insists that it is alright not to do so. You cared for her so much that she cannot help but get feelings for you.

It was when you made her realize that she should live a life the way she actually wants to. It was when you convinced her that she is not alone when it comes to protecting Mondstadt. It was when you were always and always there for her, she realized how strong her feelings gotten. But Jean is quite the shy and quiet type. No matter how much she trusts you, she could never get herself to express her romantic love for you.

And alas, the day she never though would come happened. You had told her that you indeed have a relationship with someone else. And at that day, she felt very devastated. She knew beforehand that she never stood a chance. She knew how much opportunities of confessing she had missed. She thought she was prepared for the day to come where you are with someone else. But she thought wrong. She was listening carefully to your words. Your words of excitement and joy towards that someone you love. Of course, she pretended to be so happy for you. But if you listen closely, you could hear a hint of sadness in the tone of her voice.

The moment you left her and locked the door of her office, she looked back at her paper works and started to drown in her thoughts. So many "what ifs" and "whys" in her head that she cannot hold her tears back no matter how much she tried. She knew it was pathetic to cry over one person that has a relationship with somebody else. But for some reason, she felt the same pain she feels whenever someone in the knights die.

She wouldn't necessarily avoid you. But the moment she sees you, she suddenly gets tense out of nowhere and tends to avoid you without even her noticing. If you called her out for it and ask if anything is wrong, she will simply make her exhaustion as an excuse. You thought that it was because of paper work and duties, so you tried to help. But those nights where she slept very late was because of her uncontrollable thinking and crying caused by you and you only. She would also make herself busy and interact with other people more. She would basically do anything to keep you out of her mind.

But of course, she is still there for you whenever you need something. She is always willing to lend a hand, even if it is for a future date of you and your partner. If you feel negative emotions, she will be there to listen and try to help if you wish. She may be disappointed that you chose someone else than her, she knows how to make sure that her emotions will not cause any harm to you and to your significant other.

Author's Note

I've been receiving lots of support lately in my posts and in my ask box and for that, I am very thankful <33. I know I don't post so often so my apologies for that. But nevertheless, I want to tell y'all that I appreciate each one of you so much! You make my day brighter. Ily, and don't forget to take care of yourself! Eat, hydrate, sleep, stay safe!

[giorno-plays-piano]

Sleep tight Part 2

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader

Warnings: yandere, obsession, stalking, kidnapping, non-consensual drug use, allusion to breeding.

Words: 3571.

Summary: You know someone tried to break into your apartment, but no one believes you since you live in the very same building as famous Captain America. Who is willing to risk it?

Part 1

____________

Your instincts were telling you to ran and shout and scream until somebody would be aware that you were trapped in your own room with a psycho beneath your bed. You needed to get out and find your cousin before it was too late, before he took you away like he promised and did to you whatever his sick mind was telling him to.

Strangely, your legs were not moving as if you lost control over your own body. You were shaking feverishly, but you couldn't force youself to stand up.

Wasn't it too late already? He knew who you were. He knew who your cousin was. He knew all the places where you could hide and all your relatives who would try helping you. How easy would it be for him to kill them all? He was Steve Rogers, the man who had never failed. If he didn't get you now, he'd make sure to tear your world apart in revenge.

You tried moving your legs but failed miserably again. Did your own body betray you? Was it Captain who gave you more of his medicine?

You were stuck here. There was no way out.

"S-steve?" You whispered, bending down a bit and looking at your feet.

When he touched your ankle with his cold hand, a ragged scream ripped from your throat - you were watching him getting out from under your bed like a spider, a mutilated monster, a nightmare in a form of a man. You landed on the floor with a heavy thud, trying to get away from him, crawling to the door, but Steve was already on top of you, injecting another medicine with syringe into your neck. Though he didn't finish yet, you already felt your body freezing. You were getting cold, your eyelids heavy. You thought it was the end when you closed your eyes, listening to Steve's loud heartbeat right above you.

Of course, it wasn't the end. He didn't plan on murdering you now; he only wanted to take you to the other location where you would be safe and sound with him. He'd prefer you to stay conscious, but you had enough stress already with that unhealthy lifestyle of yours, too much work on your shoulders, and lack of sympathy from the people surrounding you. Steve couldn't demand too much from you - you needed some rest.

_____________

The awakening was torturous. Your neck hurt badly from the rough injection, and your head was spinning. You felt like you were on a ship constantly rocked by the waves only to discover you were laying on a bed in a simple room, not a cabin. You didn't recognize this dark empty place, but it was the least of your worries.

You couldn't feel your body below waist.

Moving your fingers, you weakly grabbed the blanket that covered your body, feeling the soft  cotton texture. Your arms lost their strength, but they still felt like a part of you. But your legs... regardless how much you were shaking, your body refused to move even the slightest bit. It was like your lower half wasn't intact anymore. Like somebody cut you in half.

No. No, please, no. NO!

"Shh, honey." His quiet voice cut through the heavy silence, and you find him sitting in the corner of the room in complete darkness. "Please don't stress yourself. It's not good for your health."

You'd laugh at his words if you could, but you weren't able to force even a single sound out of your mouth. He did something to your body. He broke your spine. He made your legs completely useless to you. He made it so you would never leave him, unable to walk.

When Steve got up from his place, you looked at him with pure horror, your eyes filled with tears and open so wide it hurt. He had a concerned expression, watching you tremble with fear. Wasn't he supposed to be happy because he had finally caught you?

The closer he came, the more your teeth chattered almost to the point of breaking. He had taken away your legs. He broke you and he would keep doing it more and more because no one was going to save you from America's most favourite hero. You would die in agony in his hands because he wanted you to.

"Everything is going to be alright, darling." His hand brushed against your forehead, and you whimpered, a thread of saliva running down your cheek from your half-open mouth. You couldn't make yourself speak to him, too shocked and frightened to death. "We're almost there. It's going to take one more day or so, and then we will finally settle down. You don't need to worry about anything."

I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die.

His eyes watched your madly shaking figure, and Steve reached out to take your frozen palm in his.

"Why didn't you tell me you're cold, honey?" He frowned and stood up immediately, making you let out a little cry. "Wait a second, I'll give you more blankets."

Blankets. As if you needed any. As if you cared about your body that wasn't functioning properly, half of it just a useless piece of meat now. You felt like you couldn't breathe anymore, gasping for air and feeling like somebody squeezed your lungs with a stony arm.

Steve had returned from the other side of the room shortly with a pile of blankets and carefully unfolded them one by one, covering you with several layers. When he saw you choking, his hands flew to your chest, but your eyes were already rolling back from the lack of oxygen. It didn't take you long to go into the great darkness, sinking into it, feeling nothing at all, even the man's shouting quickly fading away.

It took you even more time before you awoke the next day, your body aching from staying in one position for long, apparently. You were feeling groggy again just like all those mornings in your apartment when your life seemed so boring and uneventful to you. Little did you know, it was heavenly comparing to the complete nightmare you were living in now.

You suddenly realized you could curl your toes on your right foot. And then on the left one too. Your hips felt warm under that huge and heavy comforter.

You could feel. You could feel your lower body.

Then you were crying so hard that at one point you became afraid of being suffocated in your own tears. Steve Rogers didn't break your spine. He did something to you, but your body recovered, nevertheless. Oh, you were strong. You were so strong. He would have hard time trying to break you.

Your euphoria was slowely going away with every minute you spent in solitude in that pretty little room with floral walls. It was the complete opposite of the dark place you woke up after being kidnapped - the new room was furnished very nicely, way better than your own apartment stuffed with cheap things straight from Ikea's sales, and it smelled like roses. Was there a vase with flowers somewhere? It could be. That sick psycho was still playing the role of your loving fiancee.

Wait. Was he under your bed? WAS HE UNDER YOUR BED?

Caring little for the noise you made, you leaned down and lost your grip on the headboard, falling to the floor. You hissed in pain, but then saw there was no one hiding beneath and let out a loud sigh. Relief washed over you. Steve wasn't there. You were completely and utterly alone in the room.

You spent some time listening to any sounds, but you didn't hear anything at all. If Steve was somewhere close, he decided not to show up just yet.

Trying to move as quietly as you could, you got back on your bed and glanced over the room - it was so girly with light pink bed sheets, pillows, chair's upholstery and even a carpet. There was a beautiful vintage vanity with a large mirror - lifting your head, you caught a glimpse of yourself and quickly laid back. You weren't ready to see that just yet.

It was light as day here, but you didn't find any windows. You doubted he would give you a chance to escape through one, and you heart sank at the realization: it wouldn't be surprising if he locked you somewhere underground. Maybe he didn't chop off your legs, yet he took away your opportunity to run away, nonetheless.

Anyway, you could still cry from happiness knowing you were able to walk. It felt like the biggest present somebody could give you.

You didn't know how much time you spent there, staring at the white ceiling and imagining Steve Rogers waiting with an axe behind your door. You didn't hear any sounds whatsoever, even the clock if there was any in the room. Slowly, you started moving your legs again and then clenching your fists real tight. You were in full control of your body, and you wept a little at the thought.

Soon you lifted the comforter and stepped on the pink carpet. Did he put floor heating in here? Your feet felt oddly warm.

Dropping your gaze to your pink silk pyjamas after that, you almost threw up in both disgust and fear. Did that sick pervert do anything to you when you were unconscious? You glanced at the door nervously and took off your top, covering yourself with the comforter in a second. Then you looked at your skin, touching your neck, your breasts and your arms: as far as you could see, there were no marks on your body. It didn't hurt. After that you put the top back on and took off your pants, repeating the same manipulation and finding nothing. Good. He didn't rape you, at least. He couldn't hide this with whatever medication he forced you to take.

Watching youself in a mirror, you wiped a tear running down your cheek. Well, you didn't look as bad as you expected. Certainly not that bad, even after all those horrible things that happened to you.

You searched the room for anything that could help you protect youself but found bothing, not even a pen. You tried grabbing a lamp from your nightstand like the last time, but, apparently, it was glued to the surface. Anyway, how would you protect yourself with it against Captain America? He could break your body in half with his bare arms, and he certainly could have more syringes with whatever fucking drugs he used on you.

You had to go with empty hands. You cringed at the thought, but moved on regardless.

The door was unlocked, and you threw a quick glance at the corridor before stepping away and waiting for Steve to storm into the room. He wasn't there, still, and you swallowed the knot in your throat before opening the door wider with your shaking hands. The dark grey - or green, you weren't sure - colour of the corridor walls made you feel nauseated. It was so much different comparing to the pretty room you woke up in. These walls, however, looked like the walls of a prison.

Was it prison? Had that room ever been a cell before? You covered your mouth with your palm and tried to pull yourseld together. No, it wasn't the right time to vomit. You needed to move.

The room you walked out just now was in the middle of a very long corridor with doors to your left and right. With a lack of light you saw poorly, but you were sure there were no people, at least. After you spent a bit more time standing there to give your eyes time to adjust, you realized that this place had to be huge - the corridor was abnormally long.

Having no clue where to move, you went to your left, feeling very disturbed by the huge difference between the corridor's and your room's appearances. If Steve spent so much money and efforts decorating that place with beautiful furniture and other pieces of interior, why he didn't care to do it anywhere else? Was the room you woke up in the only decent one here?

Oh, you didn't want to open one more door. Breathing heavily, you were covered with cold sweat as you reached for the door knob and softly pushed it, jumping back to the wall beside you.

No sound, no movement, nothing.

Tears were clouding your vision, and you spent one more minute trying to wipe them off before you gathered enough strength to move further. The room you opened was a bedroom just like yours, but not so girly - the walls were covered with light green color, yet the furniture looked as exquisite as in your room. No vanity, however, and nothing to give you at least some protection too. You moved forward.

All those rooms looked pretty fantastic, you had to admit with displeasure. They all were comfortable and completely new.

You stumbled upon more bedrooms, several living rooms, a dozen of restrooms, a walk-in closet, two kitchens and an almost empty cabinet. Although all of them varied in size, you still saw no windows anywhere. And when you found a nursery you cried hard, clenching the fabric of your pyjamas with your teeth.

This place was a maze with more corridors and God knew how many rooms. You had no idea how Rogers could have this house - or whatever it was - running. Well, with his position of Avengers' leader he probably had a fortune to spend.

Oddly enough, all rooms looked pretty as pictures, but not the corridor. It was ugly in every part of the house as if you were supposed to be repulsed to even step outside the room. Maybe it was his intention, you thought. The other strange thing was that Steve was nowhere to be found - you checked every goddamn bed and sofa he could be under, but saw only a dusty floor. Where was he? Wasn't he supposed to be here with you? Not that you objected, though.

You felt tired and hungry after your long jorney.  There was food neither in the kitchen nor in any other room, and your stomach hurt at the thought of chicken nuggets. You'd give up anything for your usual McDonalds meal.

Before you chewed your lips thinking of hot French fries, you heard the distant sound of the door opening - a very heavy door. Probably a metal one.

You were in a bedroom you discovered at last without even realizing what you were doing. The thought of Steve coming to assault you, kill you, and dismember your body caused you to have a panic attack when you were getting behind a huge chair standing in the corner of a room. You couldn't hear anything but the blood pounding in your brain. You didn't remeber whether your screamed or not when the man entered.

Dragging you out the corner you were tucked in, he pushed your head into his chest and then put you onto the bed gently, holding your arms in his when you struggled and kicked involuntarily, not realizing what was happening as the world spin around you. He reached out for his pocket and took out one more syringe - you saw it later as he left it on the nightstand while you were laying on the bed with your body going limp again. But after taking away your strengh, the drug made you regain your sanity instead.

You were laying under the blue blanket, Steve sitting close to you and watching you with a sickly sweet smile of his as he caressed your hair with his hot palm. A few grocery bags were dropped to the floor near him, and you saw a pack of dark red cherry tomatoes almost falling out.

"You must have been scared to be all alone in such huge place. I'm sorry I wasn't waiting for you to wake up in your room, dear." His face lit up when you looked at him, chewing your lips to bits from fear and all that tension, your body pretty mich useless again. "I give you my word to become more considerate in the future. By the way, did you have a good look at our house? You got pretty far."

Pretty damn far. The entrance must have been so close.

You couldn't make youself speak to him again, so you simply nodded, weakly grasping the blanket in your trembling hands. Well, at least you could still feel your own body.

"I wasn't sure what you would like, so I just... filled the space, I guess. Of course, we can make any changes you think are necessary."

Changes? Oh yeah, like having windows and ten times less rooms, not even talking about that obviously thick door preventing you from leaving.

"You'll think about it later. How do you feel now, honey?" His shamelessly pretty eyes looked at you almost innocently, and you felt something like anger rising in your chest. "You will have to take some pills before coming into norm, I have them all here. Nothing that could harm your health, of course! They were prescribed by a very good doctor. The best I could find."

You were close to weeping, listening to Steve talking. You were under his full control again, and of he wanted to break a few of your bones, he could do so easily since you were barely able to move again.

"I'm better." You managed to whisper and shut your mouth when Steve smiled at you, rubbing circles on the back of your hand with his thumb.

"Good. I was getting worried about your constant anxiety. I've told you so many times your lifestyle isn't good for your health, darling! Why have you never listened to me?"

God, he was a madman while you were confined to bed. Your chances to stay alive were miserable.

"I'm sorry, d... dear." You basically pushed these words out of your throat, afraid to make Steve upset. "I will do better."

"I'm glad you heard me out." You shivered and closed your eyes when he leaned closer and dropped a kiss to your forehead.

You expected him to get away and sit straight, but Steve didn't. His face was inches away from yours, and you were afraid to look at him knowing you'd see nothing but the frenzy in his eyes. Captain America was long gone. Someone else had taken his place, and that someone wasn't a good guy ready to sacrifice himself to save his people.

Listening to his erratic breath, you tried to prepare yourself for the end. That was it, right? He'd take that syringe and plunge it into the socket of your eye or into your carotid artery any second. You could feel his madness showing itself on his face even with your eyes closed.

"Why won't you look at me, sweetheart?" His kind voice made you shook. "Come on, open your eyes."

You refused, still. What did it matter?

His breath burned your ear when he spoke next time.

"If you're so willing to run away from me, do you want to play a game?" Steve planted a kiss on your cheek and smiled when you finally opened your eyes. "It's an easy one. Do you like hide and seek?"

You gulped down, watching him like a dangerous animal ready to plunge its fangs into your soft flesh.

"I'll give you ten minutes, and you have to run and hide from me. If I won't find you soon, I'll let you go." His gentle smile was quickly turning sinister while you were left gasping for air. "But if I am going to catch you, I will..."

"No."

He stopped talking and stilled, watching you with wide eyes. The pure confusion on his face looked strange - he didn't understand what you were trying to do.

"I'm not a child." You said, watching him with determination emerging out of nowhere as you spoke. "I don't like these games and I'm tired. I wanna see a movie, Steve."

Was his madness contagious? You certainly felt so, giving him what sounded pretty much like an order. No, you wouldn't play his sick games just to end up mutilated and broken. You'd play yours. You felt so bold and intent to resist him after dreading torture and death so many times. It was like that syringe injected some magic potion into your body, leaving your mind free of fear. What there was for you to lose, anyway?

"Of course, honey! I'm so, so sorry. Of course, you're a grown woman, and it was silly of me to offer you this." He looked... apologetic? Bewildered? Ashamed? "Let me take you to the living room... yes, like that, darling. You're doing so good."

Lifting you in his arms, Steve showed you that warm smile of his once more and carried you away, humming some melody. You put a hand on his chest and listened to his heartbeat that was quickly slowing down. You just escaped your own death, probably. Maybe being a little crazy would actually help you survive.

Once you got an opportunity, you would slit his throat the very first night, you thought.

THE END

_________

Tags: @finleyjayne @alexakeyloveloki   ​@helenaeisenhower @villanellevi @hurricanerin ​@void-hoechlin @abyssaint

[tinyboxxtink]

"Caught In The Storm" *Part 4*

I'm telling you ladies and gents, it's like Christmas Morning right now!!!!

Enjoy it for a bit more. <3

Tag List:

@wanniiieeee

@chasingeverybreakingwave

@milkshqke

@aprildecker-blog

@word-scribbless

@gibbs274

@objection-argumentative

@lolliepopsicle

Part 5

----

“Are you sure?” Kelsey asked you.

“I'm telling you it was longer than just a friendly hug,” You insisted.

When you had gotten home after the awkward encounter with Rafael you obviously sat her down and began gossiping about it.

“Well I mean, he told you straight up that he wasn't in love with you honey,” She pointed out.

“And I know that he was full of shit,” you remarked.

“So are you gonna do anything about it?

“I don't know I just wish...ugh that he would admit it,” You groaned in frustration.

“Well.. sweetie he's a grown man you can't exactly force him to do what you want.”

“No.. but I can coerce him,” you smirked evenly.

“Oh god.. I don't even want to know what that means,” she laughed.

-----

Wednesday night rolled around and you arrived at Luigi's early for your “date”. You decided to sit at the bar and have a drink while you waited. You had gone all out for this. You had bought a new dress, you had shaved everywhere, you'd even gotten your hair and makeup done by a professional.

This was it, this was the moment. You nervously played with the napkin your drink came on in your hands, eventually crumbling it in between your fingers from being so nervous.

“Wow I'd love to be the guy on the other end of that napkin you're so nervous about seeing,” A voice came beside you. A very nice looking young man, blonde haired and blue eyed with a killer smile. And that smile was aimed at you.

“Oh yeah just waiting on someone,” You nervously giggled running your hands through your hair

“Well… Do you mind if I wait with you? My date is either running super late or I got stood up,” he laughed, gesturing to the bartender for another drink.

“I'm Nathan, by the way,” He held out his hand for you to take. “Y/N,” You shook his hand back.

“To waiting,” he held up his glass.

“To waiting,” You smiled awkwardly, clinking your glasses together.

Outside the bar, Rafael walked up and saw you in the window, talking to Nathan. He saw how beautiful you looked, and he knew that he would not be able to conceal his true feelings for you if he went in there.

But he wasn't entirely sure that that's what he wanted to do; Even though he had come up with this idea himself. He watched you engaging and flirting with Nathan for a bit before turning and walking back towards another bar. He pulled out his phone and texted you.

You felt your phone vibrate and you checked your phone. It was a text from Rafa

“Sorry I got a bunch of paperwork. Need to stay late. Rain check?

Your heart sank, your face fell.

“Everything okay?” Nathan asked.

“Yeah well it looks like I got stood up too,” You sadly shrugged.

“Well, as long as we're both alone, would you like to get something to eat? “ He asked you with a golden smile.

“Sounds good,” you smiled.

------

“So he just stood you up?”

“Well I don't know. He said that he had a lot of work and that he wanted a rain check,”

“So he stood you up,” Kelsey finished for you.

“Yes he stood me up. I guess it wasn't meant to be,” You shrugged sadly

“So tell me about this new boy,” Kelsey changed the subject.

“I don't know. He's cute, smart, funny, a lawyer and half Rafael’s age,” You went on.

“So basically, perfect for you,” she left.

“Haha.” You rolled his eyes.

“Did you get his number?” Kelsey asked coyly.

“Maybe…” you smiled.

“Oh my God look at you, work it girl!” She giggled.

“Who knows if it'll go anywhere.. I lost my heart a long time ago,” You shrugged.

“Yeah well maybe it's time for you to take it back,'' Kelsey replied seriously.

-------

THE NEXT DAY

So what do we think our best tactic is? Olivia asked a spaced out Rafael. “Rafael? BARBA?”

“What?” Rafael was knocked back to Earth out of his thoughts. “Sorry Liv, what was the question?”

“Boy you have been somewhere else all day,'' Fin remarked. What is up with you?”

“Yeah I did dinner with Y/N not go well?” Nick asked.

“What?” Finn was suddenly interested.

“No it didn't go at all, because I didn't go,”

“Why not? Sonny asked.

“I think we all know why not..”. Rafael murmured.

“Are you serious?” Finn asked angrily. “Why would you do that?”

Rafael looked at him surprised. “I’m sorry, what?” He asked.

“Rafa…” Olivia started.

“What? WHAT?? He looked around the table for an answer.

"Look it's one thing for you to date Y/N, it's a whole other problem when you fuck with her emotions,” Fin answered.

“What are you talking about, Fin?” Rafael asked, completely oblivious.

“What do you mean, what do I mean?” He asked back angrily.

“I think we all saw the little song and dance you guys did the other day when she came to bring us lunch,” He looked around the table and the squad who all nodded.

“That girl is seriously in love with you and I think you feel the same,” Finn continued. "And I might not like it, but I also don't want to see her unhappy. So if you got her hopes up, and then you ditched her, you better go fix it right now.”

“...And you would be okay with that?” Rafael asked. “All of you?” He looked around the table.

“I'm not thrilled with the idea either,” Olivia sighed. But I also want Y/N to be happy, no matter what that means.” She put a hand on Rafael’s shoulder.

“And also, I want you to be happy.”

Rafael took several seconds looking back and forth, his mind reeling trying to figure out what he should do. Finally he stood up.

“I’m gonna do this,” He smiled, running out of the station before anyone could answer.

-----

Rafael didn't know exactly what he was going to say to you, but he knew he'd know in the moment as soon as he saw you.

He grabbed an Uber and told him to book it to the Supper Club. When he got there, he immediately went to go find you. He spotted you through the crowd looking gorgeous as ever. He made his way over to you but right before he got to you, he saw Nathan walk up to you and kiss you deeply.

His heart sank, his blood ran cold, his face turned pale. How could this have happened?

“They make a cute couple, don't they?” a voice behind him asked. He turned to see Kelsey standing there with an evil smile.

“I don't understand…” Rafael trailed off, still staring at you and the man.

“What's to understand Rafael?” Kelsey asked, approaching him.

“You toyed with her emotions, you stood her up, you rejected her. Did you really think that she would sit around and pine for you forever?”

“But she and I…” Rafael stammered.

“If you think for one second that I'm going to let you walk over there and confuse her even more, you're stupider than I thought.” Kelsey snarled.

“I don't want to confuse her anymore Kelsey!” He exclaimed. I want her... I love her,” Rafael said emotionally.

“If you really love her, then you'll let her be happy,” Kelsey replied.

Don't you think she needs to have all of the information to make that decision herself? Rafael sneered.

“I think that you're just upset that somebody else is playing with your toys and you don't like it,” Kelsey sneered back.

“That's not true!” Rafael defended.

“I think that you took too long to figure out what you want and now that she's finally moving on, you need to let her,'' Kelsey lowered her voice.

“I…” Rafael looked at you with Nathan sadly, tears lining his eyes.

“If you really love her then you need to let her go,'' Kelsey said softly, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Rafael looked at you then he looked at Kelsey then back at you and then down at the floor.

“You're right…” Rafael whispered tears falling down his cheeks.” It's not fair to her.. I'll leave her be,”

“Thank you,'' Kelsey said. And with that Rafael turned and left.

[rainbows-and-emeralds]

Jean Pierre Polnareff's true purpose

So, let's talk about Jean Pierre Polnareff.

The "silliest" of the Stardust Crusaders, the "clown" of the group, the "immature one".

Except he's really none of those things. He may not be a genius, but he is smart. People really don't give Polnareff the credit he deserves. I personally do believe, that out of all of the Crusaders he is the one with the worst fate.

All of the Crusaders have been through some form of trauma, yes, they all have faced Dio and have lost friends along the way, but Polnareff has had it especially hard, because people just seem to ignore/forget all he's done, and we tend to put him down as that silly, funny guy from Part 3.

It is true, Polnareff is very dorky and jokes around a lot, and just generally seems to be very at ease in an almost naive way. But this has it's reasons, and Polnareff is so much more than just this.

The people who smile the brightest often hide the worst pain in their hearts.

What I'm trying to say is, Jean sort of uses this goofy, happy facade as a coping mechanism for trauma and grief. Only 3 years prior to meeting the other Crusaders he'd lost his younger sister Sherry. And she wasn't just killed by accident, she was murdered. Imagine what that must have done to him. Whatever it was, it was enough for him to seek revenge, not stopping before anything.

Furthermore, he'd just somewhat come to terms with Avdol's supposed death later on in season 1 of Part 3. Maybe Polnareff even blamed himself for dragging Avdol into this. Especially after going off on his own when he'd finally found J. Geil, which I still believe he did, to not endanger his friends unnecessarily.

Avdol was probaply his closest friend of the bunch. I love the bond these two shared. And I believe that Avdol wanted Polnareff to realize that it's better to have friends to rely on, and that it wasn't his fault.

Still, Polnareff likely blamed himself for being responsible for Avdol's death, having seen him die right in front of him, because he was protecting him..

And later it turns out Avdol didn't really die, he was still alive all this time, and all the Crusaders knew about it. All of them, except for Polnareff.

They didn't tell him, because they didn't trust him to keep quiet about it in front of the enemy.

This is the one desicion I disagree on with Kakyoin and the others. How could they. Not only did they basically end up telling Polnareff that they didn't fully trust him, they left him blaming himself, feeling incredibly bad and traumatized for WEEKS.

And then not ONE of them, not even Kakyoin, really apologized to him. It can be argued that what they did was not to hurt Polnareff on purpose, regarding the dangerous situation they're in. And that makes sense. But it did hurt him. And that's sort of unforgivable in my book. Jean puts up this happy act, and no doubt he does have fun with the other Crusaders, it's not bad all the time at all. But when nobody's looking, the sad, pained look on his face is obvious enough.

In the end, Polnareff really loses three of his friends, two of them because they protected him, and gave their lives for that yet again, but this time for real. He's essentially left with what he'd believed to be true before.

He is alone again.

Having only survived because others protected you and died for that, can make you feel so utterly desperate and worthless.

Despite this sorry state he falsely sees himself in, here is where it truly shows, just how noble Jean Pierre Polnareff really is.

Instead of leaving all of this behind when given the chance, to go back home to France, he continues investigating the Stand arrows, and the problems Dio's actions caused, even after he died.

While Jotaro was on it too, Polnareff eventually decides to further investigate alone, probaply because he wanted to avoid losing another friend because he couldn't protect himself alone. It shows that he's grown. And it shows that Polnareff really doesn't hesitate to risk his life for this.

This causes Polnareff to run into none other than Diavolo, who is after the arrows for his own, twisted reasons.

Which in turn, gets him into an even worse situation.

Not only has Polnareff spent his youth, from the age of 19 (when he lost his sister) to age 36, chasing after the Stand arrows and Dio to seek revenge and prevent even worse things from happening, he's also severely injured and left disabled for the rest of his life at only 23 years of age.

On top of all of this he is now the potential target of one of the most dangerous Mafia bosses in the world, forcing him to live in solitude for over 10 years, unable to contact ANY of his remaining friends or family because if he did so he'd risk getting them and himself hunted down and killed. Thus Polnareff is yet again alone.

Just.. take a moment to let all of that sink in. All of what Polnareff has been through.

And DESPITE all of that, he still pulls through, he still keeps going, stays strong and continuously puts his own life on the line to try and stop Diavolo from obtaining the Requiem arrow.

Because he knows that if he fails, everything the Crusaders fought for in 1989 will be to no avail. And even if he can't do much himself, he finds a way to contact Bucciarati's group after what I can only assume are weeks, if not months of research on them.

(It is almost scary to see how much Polnareff has changed, from the mostly happy, outgoing and talkative guy we've known, to this serious, more mature and collected man, operating from within the shadows to reach out to Bruno.)

Now we, as the reader, know all of this about Polnareff, but to Bruno and his gang, he is a stranger, somebody they don't know if they can trust yet. They also only meet Polnareff very briefly before Diavolo finally reveals himself and kills Polnareff for good.

Jean Pierre Polnareff, spent his live almost constantly facing some sort of trauma. I can't begin to imagine what he must have felt like in the end, knowing he's dying, before having finished what he started, what he fought for.

Yet he spends his last living moments thinking of his friends, the things he's been through back in Egypt, and atleast he knows that what he's done is not in vain, because he can safely place this mission he's dedicated the last 10 years of his life to, in the hands of Bucciarati and his gang.

This has an almost poethic value to it.

(It is also interesting to note that the Stand, Judgement, from Part 3 shows up in this panel. Think back, this Stand had the ability to grant "wishes" in form of illusions that turn against you. That was when he wished for his sister Sherry, and Avdol, whom Polnareff still believed to be dead, to come back to life. This always strangely touches me, because it's so naive to believe in such a thing, yet, it shows just HOW much Jean cares for those two, that he still had hope left, and was unable to let go, as of that time. The pain in his eyes as he realized that this last bit of hope he had was foolish, wronged, he had to accept and move on, which he does for the most part, but the fact that Judgement is something that he remembers in his last concious moments before dying shows that what happened on this particular day never really left him..)

Somehow, Polnareff is given a second chance, in form of his soul being kept alive within this bizarre Stand ability of Coco Jumbo. His body is dead, he can never go back, but Polnareff's spirit lives on. Atleast for now.

And Polnareff did so much. He sacrificed everything, not even hesitating to lay down his life.

He deserved so much better. He deserved a happy, long life, a family, love and friends.

While he may not ever get some of these things, he's with Giorno now. He's made it out, somewhat, alive. He can rest easy now and that is what counts for me. His sacrifices have not been for nothing, and thus, his friends dying to protect him back in Cairo also have not died for nothing. Polnareff carried on their legacy, making their deaths count, moving on, but never forgetting.

It is somewhat ironic that the one who carried Polnareff's mission to the end was Giorno, Dio's son, and yet another Joestar. It seems that the fates of Polnareff, Dio, and the Joestar family were destined to cross paths from the beginning.

Again, as the reader, we know the whole picture, but Polnareff doesn't. And he still did what he did, and he deserves credit and gratitude for that.

This is why Jean Pierre Polnareff is one of the most important people in the storyline of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, and a man who has ALL my respect and admiration. I truly think that without him, things wouldn't have turned out as well as they did, and we have him to thank for that.

The last thing spoken in the anime of Vento Aureo is said by none other than Polnareff:

"Let's go,

...to the Colosseum."

~Haru

[zwiezraczek]

Love The Way You Lie [Blurb]

8. “Why are you doing this to me?” 11. “You're driving me crazy, you know that?” 20. “I think I just found somebody to love.”

Warnings: unhealthy relationship, violence mentionned

Inspired by Love The Way You Lie - Eminem

 ~~~

You gulped the bottle, laughing, feeling the alcohol pulsing through your veins as the music grew louder and louder. Mutants clubs, the best clubs. But what was even more beautiful in all of this, was the illegal part: mutants were indeed illegal, their clubs? Illegal. Their existence? Illegal. Their games? Illegal. And this was why you loved to stay there, with your bestfriend, dancing until your feet hurt and your head filled with alcohol and dirty thoughts, until your hands slid under somebody's t-shirt, until you could feel alive, again.

And as the lights flickered above your head, you noticed them. These majestic white wings in the darkness, surrounded by various persons, dancing girls next to them, lazily brushing against them and the man owning them. His beautiful and mesmerizing eyes. He had a drink in his hand, a girl in the other, sitting on his lap, giggling and smiling as she touched the angelic curls on his head. But his eyes were looking at you right now, and the only thing you could think about was him. Only him.

Lust danced between you, as you swayed your way through the crowd to find yourself in front of him, before he could have a better look at you. You were sparkling, seductive, a temptress. And he looked like a fallen angel, with his burning eyes and his white wings. He had toyed enough with the girl on his lap, and asked her to leave, and so she did, not pleased to see you being his new center of attention.

“I think I just found somebody to love,” he declared, after drinking a sip of his beer. His eyes devouring you with one glance from above.

“You sure pretty boy,” you asked, while smirking, “I'm pretty handful to be with. Not sure you could handle me...”

“Let's find out, doll.” With a gesture of his hand, he invited you on his lap, and you couldn't refuse. And as you sat up there, he began to kiss your neck, roughly, lustily, with passion. His skin pressed against yours, as you gasped from time to time. “See? I'm doing great.”

“I'm not so sure,” you moaned as he licked your collarbone, your hand softly toying with his t-shirt. “I've seen bett... Oh my god,” you exhaled as he made you feel alright, just by kissing your neck.

“Maybe better than you thought, doll.” His expert hands wandered all around your body, his wings wrapping around both of you, your moans only for his ears, nobody else.

“You're driving me fucking crazy,” you panted, looking at him with a sparkle in your eyes. He probably was the one.

“So do you, doll.”

~~~

You became what some could call lovers, what others could call sex friends, but whatever you had was a game. The game to know which one of you could drag the other towards the edge, the edge of common sense and the edge of sanity. Aggressiveness rising as you kissed that boy, his body pressed against yours and his hands moving gently on your hips, your rage exploding when a girl's tongue wandered on his collarbone, him holding her close and marking her neck. Always eyes on each other, to see which one would break the first. There was no pattern, but everything always ended in a fight. Either you going out, yelling names at him, waiting in the apartment you shared and breaking glasses while he came back, crying, raging and telling him to fuck off, either him going absolutely batshit, trying almost to kill the guy being with you, pining you up against the wall as you looked at him with your provocative eyes.

“Why are you doing this to me,” he asked, your jaw in his right hand. It hurt, it absolutely hurt how much his fingers were into your skin as he held your face to force you to look at him.“Answer, bitch!”

“Because you agreed, motherfucker,” you would reply, scents of alcohol in your voice as many as in his own. You'd go through the pain, as always, he'd apologize, you'd apologize.

“Don't you fucking toy with me, you're mine,” he would exclaim, the attention suddenly driven towards the two of you, his wings sharpening at their ends, you could hear their hissing. You knew these could make you bleed, and they did and not only once. But you made them bleed too, not once, with some broken glass.

“I'm not a pet of yours, Warren,” you whispered, confident as you felt that breathing became difficult. You smiled nevertheless.

“But you are fucking mine, either you want it or no, and I'll fucking kill whoever tries to fuck around with you. You heard that,” you couldn't tell if he was speaking to you, or to the guys gathered around you as he let you go. Your jaw hurt, it would leave some bruises in the morning. But who cared? You won the game tonight, you won this round and that was all that matter.

“So how about showing me I'm all yours then, Warren Worthington the Third,” your cooed, looking at him. Your makeup was flawed, tears which ran on your face when he chocked you made you look like a small hurt panda, but you were lust on legs to him, with that face or without.

“You're driving me crazy doll, you really do,” he whispered, his hand against the wall, just right to your ear. His wings softened a bit, you touched them, carelessly because you knew how much it helped him to relax, to be turned on.

You were sure of one thing during that night: you won the most outrageous and passionate night, only to yourself. With Warren, a man capable of making you scream for any reason.

~~~

His burning rage met your limits on that night. You spat on his face, as he grabbed your arm telling you that you had to stay there, he punched a hole in the wall next to your head. You felt scared, but also impressed. But you told him that you were leaving, for whatever reason, and as you slammed the door you heard him screaming, hitting the door endlessly. But letting you go. You stood there, in the hallway, hearing him burn. You heardshattering of glass, how many glasses you broke together while in this sick relationship? You had your head between your fingers, crying. You felt helpless. You loved him, he loved you, this sick game of yours was the best thing that could have happened to you both. But that was consuming you, destroying sometimes. But you loved it the way it was.

As you sat in the dark corridor, after a dozen of minutes, you heard the door open. You saw light, and him. His wings struggling to pass through the door as always, looking like an angel in the moonlight, only shorts on and his torso on display. He offered you his hand, eyes tired and puffy from crying too. You knew everything was hurting you, you knew he was hurt, you knew you were hurting you, but this weird exchange of energy suited youboth. You took his hand, and entered the apartment, watching out to not step on some glass.

“Doll it wasn't you, it was me,” he assured, stroking your hair as you laid your head on his lap, slowly not sobbing anymore. “And maybe our relationship isn't as crazy at it seems...”

“It's fucking us,” you corrected him, rising your eyes on him. “We're driving each other crazy for nothing, watching ourselves burn as we push each other's buttons...”

“This is what happens when a tornado meets a volcano, doll,” he delicately whispered, looking at you. “I can barely breathe when I'm not with you, doll. I can't fucking get you out my mind, you know that doll?” You nodded, feeling exactly the same. “So don't move doll, and close your eyes.”

You rose, looking at him in confusion. This wasn't Warren at all, it wasn't how he worked. He urged you to close your eyes before leaving you, alone, on the couch, hands covering your eyes. You heard him walking carefully to not make his feet bleed on the glass he broke earlier, before he opened a drawer and closed it. Curiosity shook your whole body as you heard him being close, the sound of his wings right next to you, their soft touch brushing your bare shoulders.

“Open your eyes doll.”

And he knelt in front of you, looking at your tired and puffy face from crying. A small box, with a ring in his hands.

“All I know is that I love you too much to leave you walk away from me, doll. All I know is that rage takes us over sometimes, controls us, but I also know that we love each other.”

“Yes,” you replied before he could ask you anything. “Warren yes.”

“Let me finish,” he said, looking at you with these glistening eyes. “I love you, y/n, and I want to marry you; with or without these little game of ours I don't fucking care, I just wantto be with you, doll.”

“Yes Warren, I agree, I love you too,” you kissed his forehead gently, your hand caressing his wings first, and then his cheek. “I'd be honored to become Mrs. Worthington.”